Son of the Dragon King
by DragonKingNatsu
Summary: Issei was raised by the Dragon King Acnologia! How will things play out when he attends Kuoh Academy and finds himself attracting the attention of a familiar redheaded devil? Minor spoilers for Fairy Tail. DragonSlayer/Dragon/NonDevil/Less perverted Issei. Fatherly Ddraig. Issei x Tiamat x small harem.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hey, this'll be my first story here. I just had this plot bunny that wouldn't go away, and the result is something crazy

Contains minor spoilers for Fairy Tail. Features powerful Issei, dragon Issei, non-sacred-gear Issei, and less perverted Issei. Issei x Tiamat x small harem.

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Chapter 1: There's a Whole Other World Out There

Supernaturally aware humans had it rough in Kuoh, or anywhere for that matter. Even the cleverest and strongest of humans without a sacred gear or other weapon were barely a match for a low class stray devil. They get a sinking feeling that no matter how much discipline and focus they put towards their training, they still wont be able to live in peace. And since they're aware of the supernatural, they usually wont be ignored. Yeah, just knowing that there was a whole other world hidden beneath your own was a risk.

Such was the case of the Hyoudou family. They were a simple, middle class, three person household with a son, Issei; a mother, Honoka; and a father, Takeshi. Issei was a quick witted kid with thick, contantly messed up brown hair and curious brown eyes to match, and he had a penchant for sticking his nose where it didn't belong. Most kids did. His father had short, messy black hair and wore thick glasses, giving him a buisnessman-like appearance. Though he had a small frame, he wasn't weak by any means. And finally, Honoka, a woman of average height, had smooth brown hair down to her neck. Her bangs in the front were cut short, giving her a minorly tomboyish face. While Takeshi worked in an office, she mostly stayed at home to guard the house and watch Issei.

The only thing that was unusual was that both of the parents knew magic. It was almost entirely a result of learning of the supernatural and searching for a way to combat it. See, before Issei was born, the married couple stumbled upon something they really weren't supposed to see and they were never the same ever since. Both discovered that they possessed some aptitude for magic and were therefore a 'special' type of human called a magician. Technically, they were 'stray magicians,' because they didn't want to affiliate themselves with any group, but they weren't powerful. Joining an official magician group would only drag them further into the world that they wanted to esacpe from. Sure, they had some rudimentary knowledge of the art, more than almost everyone else, though it wasn't like they could old a candle to the immense power of legends like Merlin.

So, yeah, in order to get the power they needed, they did something really stupid. Incredibly stupid. The reason they did something so drastic stemmed from the frightening events of the week prior. Issei was only five years old at the time and already a stray devil had wandered through their areas and killed some of their neighbors. Obviously, they tried to stop it, yet the best they could do was hold it off until a devil arrived to kill it. They were powerless to defeat the monster, a problem they prayed they wouldn't have in the future. Now, here they were, pouring over a musty arcane tome that they pilfered from the church.

Kind of a ballsy move, considering the church was run by fallen angels, who, unlike their counterparts in heaven, have no qualms with killing humans for a simple unused book. Still, the information on teleportation spells was so dearly worth it. They'd be able to avoid anything that came after them to keep Issei safe.

"Takeshi!" Issei's mother yelled. "They're coming already! Did you figure anything out yet?" While her husband tried to decipher the text and learn the one spell they'd need for the rest of their life, she was sensing for threats. Issei peacefully slept in his room.

"Hold on, I've almost got it," he replied. "Wake Issei, we've gotta go, now."

"Honey, you better know what the hell you're doing." She didn't doubt him for a second though, since he was much better at space-time magic than her.

He didn't bother to reply, flipping the page in the book and gazing intently at a diagram. 'Maybe there is a way to escape this after all,' he thought quietly. He hummed to himself and adjusted his glasses as he studied the tome, transfixed by the promise one of the spells offered. 'No wonder the fallen really want this back. This could provide nearly endless opportunities.'

"Mom, wha's goin on," Issei slurred tiredly as the two descended the steps from his bedroom. It was past midnight, and the poor kid could barely stand.

"There are some bad people after us, buy Mommy and Daddy will take care of it. Right, honey?" By the time she finished, they were standing right next to Takeshi who was sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"Yeah," he answered, still focused. "Change in plans, we're going to use this." He held the tome up with a hand and showed it to his wife.

Her eyes widened. "You can't use this! What if we end up somewhere hostile? What if we don't have enough magic power and it kills us?" She said the last part quietly, as if she had accepted that this was a better idea but still feared the inevitable risks.

"Think of it. We could give Issei a safe life, free of everything in this world. Maybe he could make something of himself. I have no plans of involving you in this spell; I'll do it myself. Teleporting around will only delay the inevitable. But this," he looked up, "this is a chance at a new beginning."

Issei was confused, but he had never seen his father so determined before in his life. He knew his father was much quieter and more selective with words than his mother, though the man rarely even outright denied her. Then again, Issei wasn't able to understand anything going on at the time, only that his father was incredibly serious for whatever reason.

Without any further words, Takeshi took a piece of chalk, stood up, and began drawing a symbol on the floor. As the white substance rubbed off onto the wood, it emitted an both a painful screech and a violet glow. By the time he was finished inscribing the symbol, it was a meter wide pentagram humming with energy. "Honoka, Issei. Get in the circle." There was a knock at the door. "Shit," he cursed.

Honoka nodded to him, many words being conveyed in a glance. "I'll hold them off. You just worry about Issei. I need to know he's safe." With that, she nudged the young boy into the circle. "I need you to stay here, okay. You can do that for me, right Issei-kun?" The boy nodded, bewildered. "I'm counting on you, honey!" She faced the door and held out both hands, an odd blue light pouring from them and reinforcing a barrier around the house.

This time the knock was a slam, and the door nearly bounced off its hinges with a loud thud. "Even at the cost of my life, I will see you safe... I hope this works," Takeshi mumbled to himself. He tossed the book into the circle with his son and began to chant in Latin.

Issei gasped as the chalk outline began to glow. As that was happening, however, the light was fading from his father's eyes, and he was beginning to slump forward, unable to muster the energy to keep himself upright. Takeshi's hair grew grey, and his face lost its youthful definition, as if he aged twenty years in an instant.

"I love you Issei," Honoka said, as her son's body began to glow the same white as the symbol.

"Me too," her husband added, the chant over, the energy fading.

"Mom? Dad? Wait! Don't go! Please!" Issei cried, now able to see through his hand. His father fell on his face just as the door burst open and a man with black wings entered the room.

"You'll never find him, or that book," Honoka growled.

The man was enraged by the proceedings, a wide-brimmed hat shadowing his features. "What did you do?!"

Issei's screams of protest were fading out, as if someone had turned the volume down. And along with the sound his body and the book seem ghostly translucent. Then, blinding light emerged from the pentagram, and a sound equivalent of a thunder clap echoed through the room. When it all calmed down, Issei and the spell tome were both gone.

"Dimensional travel..." Takeshi mumbled feebly, a victorious final smirk on his average features. He looked up towards the man, his body hardly able to support the gesture, and gloated, "You lose, fallen angel."

With that, Issei found himself in whole new world entirely.

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Fiore x773

Zonia mountain was one of the most remote and peaceful locations in all of Fiore. Standing hundreds of miles away from the nearest town, nestled in the northwestern part of the country, the tall mountain was the epicenter of an eternal cold. Whether caused by magic or a simple climate anomaly, no one ever bothered to find out, but some did believe in a supernatural connection. Mysterious, wispy clouds consistently obscured the peak, inspiring rumors and superstitions among the locals. Local, as in only twenty miles away where there was a small settlement.

Very few people claimed to have travelled to the peak, and, as such, it was the perfect place for someone who didn't want to be found. That is, if they could endure the year long cold spell and occasional snow showers. It wasn't that huge compared to some of the mountains east of Fiore, so it wasn't attractive to thrill seeking mountain climbers. Besides, no one wanted to brave the awful weather.

That was why Acnologia chose it as his refuge. Peace and quiet, free from some of his least favorite creatures in the world: humans. He hated weakness, it was something that he never understood. As an enormous black dragon that could claim to be one of the three most powerful beings in Fiore, if not Earthland, he couldn't comprehend that no one else could attain the same strength as he did. Here, though, he wasn't bothered by anything and could exist in solitude with the only being he cared for, himself.

In all honesty, he was human too, once upon a time. 400 years ago, there was a war between dragons and the humans they subjugated. One dragon had spoken out against their mistreatment of humans and as such sparked a rebellion throughout the entire world, but it had little chance of winning. Until a young black dragon decided to take in a white-haired orphan and train him in dragon magic, making him the first dragon slayer. But that was long ago in another time and another life. Acnologia had long since overcome his weakness.

It was there, curled at the top of the mountain, that the dragon noticed a foreign energy signature. He cracked open a beady, pearly white eye and raised his rounded snout. Something was close, seeking his energy, even drawing on it for some type of magic he could hardly fathom. Unwittingly letting out an annoyed growl, he pressed his paws against the frozen rock and hauled his massive form onto all fours.

The dragon, now awake and standing in all of his glory, was a sight to behold. His 40 meter long body was covered with midnight black, round scales extending from his head to the tip of his tail, each linking together into an impenetrable armor. Two great feathered black wings, like those of a massive bird, extended nearly 25 meters on each side, clearly capable of supporting his weight. His underbelly was a dull grey, contrasting with vibrant, exotic blue patterns overlaying the black scales and wings. His head was rounded, his snout blunt, and four backwards-facing scaled plates gave it a fierce visage. One look at the dragon would inspire dread in the most dauntless of hearts, not to mention seeing mouth full of sharp teeth.

But for just a moment, this enormous dragon had doubts, that unfamiliar magic tugging at his own lifeforce and drawling power for God knows what. He huffed, almost laughing at how weak the spell was, considering that the large amount of energy stolen was but a drop in his reservoir. Then, as suddenly as it came, it stop. With a groan, he rested his body black on the ground and closed his eyes. Nothing could harm him, anyways, he knew.

Still, he was absolutely not prepared for what came next. "Mom! Dad!" A shrill, high pitched voice wailed from behind him.

He whipped his head around and came face to face with a young, brown-haired child, maybe five years old. For a moment, he wasn't sure the kid noticed him; then the boy's eyes widened. He was sure the human was about to scream, terrified of the giant beast.

"What did you do to them!" Huh? Did he hear the kid right? Instead of fleeing and yelling, the miniature human accused him straight to his face?

In all honesty, Acnologia was nearly at a loss for words. **"I did nothing to your parents."** Something was unexplainable about this boy, as if he had immense power hidden within his feeble form. It was an odd feeling, one that the former slayer dismissed quickly. He had been alive for too long to have something surprise him.

Wait, speaking of surprise, how did this kid get here, and what did it have to do with that strange magic? It was a confusing situation. There was definitely no way that anyone with the puny magic he had in his system could brave the climb to get to the top. He decided that it was best to voice his question, as horrid as the thought of engaging in conversation with a child was. **"What brought you here, weakling?"**

"My name's Issei!" He shot back immediately.

Acnologia growled threateningly. **"Answer before I lose my patience."**

Issei's eyes went wide, but he refused to back down. "Mom woke me up and said there was bad peoples after us so I went downstairs and Dad was doing weird things with a book and some white stuff making symbols on the floor then someone came in the house and Dad said something funny then he fell over and I was here and it's cold!" The boy paused for breath, the dragon barely understanding the rushed sentence. "What did you do to him!?"

 **"Idiot,** " Acnologia huffed, irritated. **"You say your father used a book as a reference to draw a symbol?"** The boy defiantly refused to answer. It didn't matter if he did, seeing as how the kid was probably too young to understand the situation. If Acnologia's suspicion was correct, then it was likely the father either tried to either summon the black dragon himself or draw on his magic to take care of an intruder (as crazy as it sounded). Either that or the human created a teleportation circle, one that he obviously didn't have the magical ability to activate successfully. It was then that the dragon spotted an open book resting on the ground near the kid.

Acnologia brought his snout uncomfortably close to the brunette, almost bumping him as he read the text on the open page. 'Much of it is in a cryptic language unknown to even me,' he mused. It was certainly an anomaly considering that he knew most 'ancient' languages after living upwards of 400 years. There are words he recognized, however. Specifically two: 'Dimensional Travel.' That was a shock. Issei's father had the capability to travel dimensions? Unheard of. Well, it did apparently cost the man his life, so it was not without a price, but such a magic was nearly impossible. It was not even considered as a viable side project of the best minds and strongest mages.

"What did you do?" Issei repeated, this time as a dangerously quiet mutter, tears forming in his eyes as he glared at Acnologia's white eye.

 **"Nothing. Your pathetic father used magic to send you to a different dimension."** He huffed, continuing, **"he was weak enough that it cost him his own life and thus required a measly amount my magic to complete the spell."**

"Dad isn't dead!" The boy cried out, the tears now rolling down his face. "You liar!" Whether or not the kid had a hidden power, he was ballsy; the black dragon had to at least give him that.

Acnologia sighed. This was just one of the many reasons that he couldn't stand humans. **"I have no reason to lie."**

The boy fell back, landing on the rocky mountaintop, but he could care less about the pain. In fact, it was kind of welcome. He couldn't continue to deny it any more...the dragon, intimidating as it was, told no lies and affirmed his fears. His father once enlightened him on what death was; it meant that he'd never see the person again. Ever. But he wanted to see his dad, he wanted to go back home. Why did his father have to leave him? He gazed at the ground, more sinister thoughts flashing through his mind.

Acnologia was just about to turn around and go back to sleep to ignore this kid when the boy mumbled something. "You say Dad died because he was weak?"

The dragon grunted. At least this human understood something about life. **"Just like you, brat."**

"I don't wanna die!" He yelled, not in fear, but in determination. "I'll show you, you ugly dragon."

Whatever it was, something clicked right then for the immense dragon. An orphaned child, left alone to fend for himself. A young boy, weak and frail but with an insatiable hunger for power. Someone who found a dragon, as if by luck or fate. Though he would never acknowledge the connections, his subconscious easily connected the dots. The only thing that was different was that Issei was from another dimension entirely, a concept that Acnologia had trouble coming to terms with. If he were to raise anyone as his dragon slayer, it had to be someone special, unique, and a human foreign to this world certainly fit the criteria.

The possibility of someone almost as destructive as himself? That made the dragon almost giddy with sick, sinister anitcipation. **"I am the Dragon King, Acnologia. You desire power, power that humans should never be able to attain? I can give you that."** The boy looked hopeful.

" **Yes,"** Acnologia grinned internally at the potential, **"you will be my dragonslayer and my son."**

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AN: Thanks for reading and don't forget to drop a review!


	2. Chapter 2

AN: So, here's chapter 2

Chapter 2: To be a Dragon

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Fiore x773

It didn't take more than a day for Issei to begin doubting his decision. His new father did almost nothing beyond bringing him food to eat, which wasn't much more than a few berries. Instead, Acnologia insisted that Issei learn to sustain himself solely on the dragon's magic energy. Sure, that would ascertain that the boy wouldn't die of starvation, but it did absolutely nothing to sate his hunger or thirst.

Then there was the cold. It was the second night when a huge snowstorm blew in, trapping the mountain's peak in a dense cloud and near blizzard level conditions. Through it all, however, Acnologia was sleeping peacefully, undisturbed, as if he had no idea that his new chare was well on his way to dying of hyperthermia. The poor kid only had a shirt and pants on, not even shoes. The wind had an inherent chill which penetrated to the bones, making his extremities verge on going numb.

'I-it's so cold,' Issei thought, his teeth chattering. All of the mountain was practically frozen, save a ring around Acnologia where the dragon's body heat melted all of it.

Slowly, the kid made the connection. If he slept close to the dragon, then he'd be fine. Then again, the dragon didn't like it when he got too close. Whatever, it didn't matter since survival was more important than his grumpy father's mood. Decision made, he slowly hobbled over, his body shivering, and curled up against the black dragon's warm body. Issei had never felt so comfortable, despite the fact that he was laying on rocks. He could just fall asleep right then and there with no worries.

 **"What are you doing, brat?"**

The voice snapped him out of his trance, though he didn't pick up on the annoyed tone. In response, he giggled a little, probably somewhat delirious, and tried hugging the dragon's stomach. "You're so warm," he mumbled, content.

 **"I told you to sleep over there."** He pointed a claw towards the other side of the mountaintop. **"Your actions are unbecoming for any child of mine."** Not like Issei had any idea what that meant.

"It was really, really cold, and you're really, really warm," Issei rationalized flawlessly. It brought a groan from Acnologia. While he may have been considered human 400 years ago, he had no idea how to raise a kid, nor could he recall much information about humans in general besides the fact that he was stronger than all of them. Most importantly, he had no idea how to refute Issei's childish logic. Surely, a human with as much potential as Issei could endure mere below freezing temperatures? How else would he be capable of facing an ice dragon one day?

One look at his son made his heart soften a little. Issei was still shivering, but he had his eyes closed and a carefree expression, as if Acnologia would protect him. Of course the dragon would, Issei was his son after all. Perhaps his expectations were too high for a child so young. **"Fine, if you are to be my son, then I will protect you. Tomorrow, we will visit the closest human settlement to get you the appropriate clothing. Soon, however, you must learn to care for yourself."**

He supposed that he couldn't expect too much of the boy yet. For now, instead of learning how to properly train his son, it seemed he first had to figure out how to be a father.

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The next day, Issei awoke with a happy yawn, stretching his arms out a little. For the whole night, he didn't have a single nightmare about the attack on his parents! Equally exiting was the beautiful sunrise from his vantage point at the top of the mountain. "So cool!" He gasped in awe at the bright rays of orage and yellow gleaming from the horizon. That meant it had stopped snowing didn't it? It was certainly warmer, if not by much.

 **"Finally, you're awake,"** his father huffed. The whole night, the dragon didn't sleep, afraid he might unknowingly crush his son. At least he had the benefit of not needing much sleep.

"Oh, hey Dad!" Weird, the kid had never called him 'Dad' before. It was better than the butchered attempts at 'Acnologia,' but the dragon was adverse to being addressed in such an affectionate and casual way. They didn't call him the ruthless Dragon King for nothing.

 **"I am glad you slept so well,"** Acnologia replied, a hint of sarcasm accidentally leaking in. Hopefully, in a few years, the boy would have built up a resistance to the temperatures and would be competent at hunting for his own food.

"Uh huh, I did," Issei agreed, not really paying much attention to his father's words and instead looking off into the distance. "Please, please, please, can you make this last forever?"

 **"The sunrise?"** The dragon questioned. When Issei nodded, he resisted his urge to berate the kid, instead settling on a simple, **"No."**

"Aww," Issei sighed, downcast. "But it looks super awesome."

Great, his son used the phrase 'super awesome.' If he wasn't careful, he would completely lose all self respect, and his infamous reputation would be thrown down the drain. **"We are going to the base of the mountain today. Take your book."** He would not leave such an unusual and valuable item lying around.

Carefully, after Issei grabbed the artifact, the dragon stood, scooping Issei up in his claw. It was just demeaning for a human to ride on a dragon's back, especially his, so he would have to carry his son the whole way there without dropping or crushing him. Fortunately, it was only a couple hundred miles to Lavender Town, a distance he could cover in less than an hour at Issei-safe speeds. After gale of wind from his wings blew all the snow off of his home, the two were off.

For Issei, the flight was remarkable. Seeing the world from this angle was eye-opening, an experience that put an enormous grin on his face. For a few moments, he had completely forgotten about what happened not two nights ago and lived completely and utterly in the present. Below the two, the mountains rushed by, eventually opening up to a grassy countryside. Even though he was gripped tightly on all sides, there was an undiable sensation of freedom that prompted a single question.

"If all dragons get to fly, I wanna be a dragon too!"

Amazingly, Acnologia heard the boy perfectly with his enhanced senses, negating the rushing wind. **"Good. I would expect no less."** While Issei might have had no idea what his father said, he knew that Acnologia would be proud.

The flight ended far before Issei wanted it too. After protesting relentlessly and even going as far as whacking Acnologia's nose with his book, he eventually gave up. In return, the dragon promised that one day he would be able to give Issei the ability to fly, provided that the brunette acted appropriate. And so the two landed a couple miles outside of the small town, hopefully out of eyesight of people that would spread rumors.

"Why did we land here?" Issei complained. "I don't wanna walk."

 **"Quit complaining."** That was followed by a sharp look. The boy opened his mouth but was cut off. **"Now, brat!"** Issei crossed his arms and huffed, trying to imitate the dragon's typical response while facing away from his father.

"You _will_ listen to me, Issei!" His father commanded, only he didn't sound as deep and frightening as usual. It also wasn't in his typical booming voice.

Issei turned around, only to find himself looking upwards at a white-haired man. "Huh? Where's Dad?" He squinted at the adult, as if trying to deduce something but couldn't find out what. Compared to his human parents, this guy was taller, more muscular, and oddly clothed. His longer than shoulder length, wild, dark blue hair was something Issei had never seen before. The man's eyes, too, had a thin yet dark ring around them, while the rest of his face was quite tan. He also bore strange blue markings, something that reminded Issei of the dragon that adopted him, and they matched the high-collared back cloak covered with similar patterns.

The man actually laughed, only it more condescending than humored. "You thought I would walk into the town as a dragon?" He drawled. Well, the brat was only five years old.

"I don't get it," Issei pouted. "Where is Dad? His name is Acolo... Ancol... Acnolia..."

Looks like the kid wouldn't be winning any medals for his prodigal genius. "Acnologia, brat. Follow me, you're wasting our time." He began heading north towards their destination, leaving Issei still a little baffled, even if the kid did follow him.

As they made their way to town, Issei figured it out. "How are you Dad? He's an awesome dragon, and you're a weirdo."

'Awesome dragon,' Acnologia mimicked in his head, letting out a sigh. 'Why couldn't he have said fearsome?' Well, he owed his son an explanation, even if it would go right over his head. "I use Chaos Dragonslayer magic. By having used this magic extensively to kill other pathetic dragons, I became the Dragon King. This form is far more practical yet not as powerful."

"I don't get it," the kid repeated. 'I know,' Acnologia groaned inwardly.

Acnologia seriously hoped that he would not regret this.

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Fiore, April 16, x775

"So, brat, what do you want now?" Acnologia was in human form for meditation purposes. He had claimed that it allowed him to be with the only company he cared for, his own, but that was after Issei was being particularly annoying. His eyes were closed, solely for the purpose of discouraging pointless conversation.

Issei had no idea how the dragon knew he was there, which would be unnerving if the man wasn't his father. "It's my birthday."

"Really?" Acnologia huffed sarcastically. It was only the fifth time he had heard that all day.

"So, did you get me something?" Issei prodded, leaning in close.

"No." Acnologia had no idea why people bothered celebrating birthdays. It wasn't as if someone had turned a year older on that date, no they were merely a day older. Besides, he had lived so long that the distinciton between being 401 years old and 402 years old was inconsequential. He was never the type to acknowledge that he had a bias anyways.

Issei pouted. "Not even a cape like yours?"

"Cloak, not cape," Acnologia corrected firmly. Capes were pointless attire to him. "And no, I bought you nothing."

Wait, that left only one possibility in Issei's five year old mind. "That means you'll finally teach me dragonslayer magic!" He cheered.

He leaned in closer for an answer. Almost sensing that, Acnologia opening his sharp blue eyes, fixing his son with a stare that almost made the boy jump. "No." Chaos Dragonslayer magic, the kind Acnologia used, was dangerous. While other dragons could teach their slayers magic at such young ages, Acnologia would rather not disintegrate his son since there was no way his body could take it.

With a groan, the brunette responded, "how else am I supposed to pay back the fallen angel? You promised me power," he accused, knowing the dragon had yet to deliver on that promise.

It took a minute, then Isssei heard a few chuckles, then it turned into an all out cackle. It was a strange sound, completely foreign to the no-nonsense, sardonic tone that the dragon normally carried. "You, you are worried about revenge!" Acnologia laughed. "Brat, you are Issei Hyoudou, my son; revenge is beneath you. Soon, you will be a dragon, and no creature could face your wrath and live, so you need not worry about such inconsequantial things as revenge. Your mere existance would be an agent of retribution."

"Revenge? What's that?" Issei would have added 'what is retribution,' but he had no idea how to pronounce it, and his father hated when he mispronounced things. It probably stemmed from the boy butchering 'Acnologia' so often.

Acnologia wasn't too happy. Did he seriously have to teach his son what 'revenge' meant? Though he may have instructed that boy in grammar, proper speach, and the abilities of dragons, he was still not the best teacher. "Revenge is a petty thought. It is when you wish harm on someone who harmed you. Since you are my child, such thoughts are unnecessary because you will one day become so powerful that no one can harm you." Acnologia recalled with disdain a similar mindset that he held in his youth. It was why he began killing dragons after all.

"Like you?"

The strange chuckle returned. "Yes."

Issei thought for a moment, liking the sound of that. His old, human father was killed by a fallen angel, supposedly, but he wouldn't need to worry about the past when he was tough and awesome like his dad. Yet, something still bugged him, making him reach down and pick up a familiar book, flipping open to the page he had bookmarked. "What if I want to go home?" Sure, he had a home here, and Acnologia treated him as a son, although it wasn't like he could forget about where he came from.

Acnologia, for once, seemed to understand what the boy's thoughts were on the matter. "When you return, it will be for your own curiosity, not for revenge on others."

With that, he gave his dad a huge hug. At first, the dragon was clueless, shocked even, but eventually he began to accept that his son wasn't as coldhearted as him.

Safely in his father's arms, Issei mumbled quietly, "You're the best dad ever."

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Fiore x778

 **"Issei! Are you listening!"** The dragon roared.

"What? Yeah, of course," he rubbed the back of his head, completely flustered. His father didn't move an inch and merely sighed. "Okay I wasn't, but I am now," he added, as if that justified everything.

The dragon leaned in close and made a dangerously low growl, a gesture that used to scare Issei but hardly had an impact anymore. **"I was planning on giving you a gift, but I have no obligation to grant you power, even if you are my son,"** he warned.

"Whoa, wait! Seriously, you're going to teach me dragonslayer magic now!?" Issei was pumped since Acnologia said he would only teach him his magic when he was old enough and had enough exposure to the unusual energy. Now, at ten years old, it seemed he was prepared.

Chaos Dragon magic was volatile at best, and magic that unstable had an extreme toll on the body. Any other dragon magic also had profound effects, the most noticeable being that the user, called a dragonslayer, slowly transformed into a dragon after many years of utilizing it. Chaos Dragon magic accelerated this process and would easily kill the user if they were incapable of adapting to the potent energy, meaning that they couldn't be too old when they learned it. It was also lethal if the user was too young, overwhelming their body and killing them instantly.

Issei especially was vulnerable to this when taken into account that he was not from Earthland. While Earthland mages had containers within their bodies that replenish themselves with the energy in the air called ethernano, Issei had no such container. His body stored the energy all throughout, which would make it easier for Chaos Dragon magic to negatively affect him. Because he had been feeding Issei small amounts of his magic ever since his son was five years old, Acnologia strongly believed that if the boy accepted the magic then it would work without incident.

That Acnologia had deemed Issei ready was a huge excitement for the latter. Some day, Issei could be a dragon, just like his old man; that was his dream. Well, one of his dreams.

 **"Are you ready?"** Acnologia asked, though no part of it was a question. He would pump the kid full of magic no matter what the reply was.

Issei nodded vigorously. "Yeah."

The black dragon grinned, feeling a darker version of Issei's anticipation. After all, he couldn't leave a weak legacy.

 **"This will hurt."** With that, the dragon tapped a giant claw to Issei's chest. Strange blue energy gathered at the tip before flowing unbridled into Issei.

The boy glowed blue for a second, then smirked. "I don't feel any- guaaaahhhhh!"

The next second, he was on the ground, writhing in pain as the energy coursed through his veins like fire. He was unable to think, to curse his father for not warning him of just how insane the pain was. His legs wouldn't work, he couldn't stand. He couldn't haul himself onto his knees. All his could do was cry out in agony. Then, there was a moment, a hiatus, where he took a deep breath and tried to clear his head. But it wasn't over, it was just the eye of the storm, only for it to hit him in full force once more.

However, this time it wasn't his whole body, just his left hand. It was like someone had poured acid onto it, skinned it, then rubbed salt in the wound for good measure only to decide that it wasn't bad enough. By leaps and bounds, it was the worst sensation of his life. While clutching his arm, he hardly noticed a strange gauntlet forming on it, a deep red with a emerald gem glowing a lucid green. Acnologia was reminded of the hand of a dragon.

Then, the gauntlet changed, shifting into its second stage, growing larger and gaining yellow spikes, covering his entire forearm past the elbow. But that did nothing to ease the cruel torment.

Crack!

The suffering ended. Strange metal pieces, formerly covering his hand, littered the ground below him. The gauntlet had shattered. Issei was panting, sweat dripping off of his forehead and his body still convulsing slightly. While cradling his injured and sore arm, he shifting himself to a sitting position, glaring at his father. Acnologia never warned him that gaining power hurt this much! 'Then again,' Issei thought, clenching his working hand into a fist, 'I feel great!' Now, he was sturdier, fearless, and brimming with energy.

"Thanks, Dad." Though he was still smiling, the statement had a serious tone since it was a vital step for Issei.

Acnologia, however, didn't bother to respond. He was too focused on that those odd metallic remnants of what used to be a gauntlet. Sure, as the first dragonslayer he was familiar with problems and compatibility issues, but he had never seen anything like this. Whatever was laying on the ground was the unawakened source of Issei's hidden power, one of the first things the dragon had sensed all those years ago. It smelled almost familiar, almost like a dragon.

Now, the energy stored within the artifact was flowing through the air, gleaming an ethereal red. "Uhh, Dad?" Issei prompted.

 **"No, brat, I don't know,"** the dragon bit back. **"This thing is from your old world."**

Issei 'ah'ed. "So what is it?" It was more rhetorical, considering that his father already answered. Normally, this would prompt an agitated response from the dragon, but the two were so baffled that the comment went unnoticed.

A disembodied voice rumbled with laughter. The dragon bared his teeth and Issei gulped. **"Maybe I can help with that."** The voice was deep, draconic like Acnologia's.

The red mist gathered together, coalescing into a solid mass. As it began to take shape, the two instantly realized what it was. 'A dragon!' It was tiny, only a couple feet taller than Issei, and was just as red as the mist it formed from. It resembled a western dragon with sharper features than Acnologia, red scales covering the entire body with them lighter on the underbelly. Its wings had a pale membrane as opposed to the black dragon's feathers, and its eyes were a deep green.

 **"I am Ddraig, the Welsh Dragon, one of the two heavenly dragons,"** the dragon, clearly a he, stated in a voice nearly as deep as Acnologia's own. **"Thank you from freeing me from the sacred gear, though I must ask...how?"**

Acnologia huffed. **"Giving Issei my magic eradicated all traces of inferior magic from his body. You must be pathetic."**

Ddraig bristled at that. **"At full power, I could destroy you, whelp!"** He then sighed. **"This is a different world right? I heard it when I was still sealed. You magic follows foreign rules, that was probably how it broke the sacred gear. Those things were created by God, it was thought impossible to free a being from them."**

 **"Your God must be a joke."**

Ddraig glared. **"No matter how you look, you're far too weak to break His rules, it must be this world's magic. There is no other explanation!"** The two were face to face, an odd sight with the size difference. Neither wanted to back down.

The tension in the air was thick now, the powerful presence of the two dragons bearing down on Issei like an impending storm. **"You are in my territory, I suggest you respect me,"** Acnologia threatened. **"I am Acnologia, the Dragon King, the Black Dragon from the Book of Apocalypse, and I will not be talked down to by some runt!"**

'You dragon kings are all too prideful,' Ddraig thought, irate. Though, the larger dragon was right, he was far too weak at the moment to risk an all out fight. He also wasn't keen on putting the boy, the one was originally supposed to be his partner, in danger.

After trying to follow the conversation while trying to understand the effects of the ritual on his body, Issei was lost. "Wait, wait. What's going on?"

The Welsh Dragon answered. **"When you were born, a sacred gear was placed in you by God. Eventually, when you were transported here by means I don't remember, I came with you, sealed within that sacred gear. After Acnologia did whatever to make you a so-called dragonslayer, his magic purged the sacred gear from your body and broke it, releasing my spirit."**

Acnologia added on, speaking to Ddraig, " **the object that transported you to this world is the tome laying by my son."** He pointed a giant claw at the grey, snow-covered book laying by Issei.

"Okay," Issei replied, placing his hand on his chin while he addressed Ddraig. "But why are you so small? You look weak."

'Wow,' Ddraig thought, dejected, 'he does not pull punches.' Until today, he liked to think he was deserving of his feelings of pride. Now, he was made fun of by his own partner and would definitely get mocked by his rival, Albion, for his size. **"My body was destroyed when I was trapped in the gear. It seems to have reformed, somehow, though much smaller from my life force being weakened by God. I'll probably go back to normal size in a few years."**

"Awesome!" Issei cheered. "When you're back to normal, I want to see Dad kick your butt! He likes killing dragons, and he said he'd take me along as soon as I become a dragonslayer, 'cause he wants me to be a dragon too."

 **"He's your father, and you want to be a dragon?"** What was he talking about? Killing dragons to become one, that was almost as absurd as a dragon taking a human as his son.

Acnologia grunted. **"Our magic is impossible for the human body to handle. It changes them into a dragon in time, and the process can be expedited by bathing in the blood of dragons, something my son is eager for."** Ddraig tried not to shiver. If they chose to kill him now, they could. He was barely a match for a high-class devil at the moment, though he would never admit it.

Acnologia gave a sick grin at his fellow dragon's discomfort. **"Do not fret, Ddraig. You can stick around. Issei needs a tutor to teach him about this 'Earth' he comes from. Besides, I am curious to see the power you claim to have. I am tired of crushing vermin and long for a challenge."**

Just what had the worlds' most unluckiest dragon gotten himself into this time? A power hungry kid who wants to be a dragon, and a crazy, warmonger of a father who finds everything but himself and his son to be pathetic, weak trash? Why did his former host have to be the one to end up in some other crack-pot world where the laws of nature were turned on their head? 'At least I am out of that blasted thing. If I ever find the means to return, kicking Albion's ass will be like taking a morning flight.' The thought of Albion's jealousy of his freedom brought a genuine grin to his face. If that was the case, then he wasn't the world's unluckiest dragon after all.

'Maybe dealing with these two won't be a problem. It's not like I have anything better to do.'

His decision made, he leaned over until his was even with Issei's ear. **"If Acnologia calls himself your father, you can call me 'Uncle Ddraig.' Got that, partner?"**

Issei hugged the red dragon's neck. "You've got it, Uncle!"

From then on, Issei's life got even crazier.

.

Fiore x779

"I, who is about to awaken," Issei began, taking an unsteady breath, "Am the Heavenly Dragon who has stolen the principles of domination from God." Oh, man, he just hoped he remembered this right.

"I laugh at the 'infinite', and I grieve at the 'dream'." Acnologia would never approve of this, but Issei didn't care. For the moment, the black dragon was occupied by more important matters.

"I shall become the Red Dragon of Domination! And I shall sink you to the depths of the crimson purgatory!" He finished the chant by striking a pose, fist pointed towards the sky.

Then there was silence. The boy waited a few seconds, but nothing happened.

 **"Hey, partner, what're you up to?"** Issei yelped, twisting to face the voice behind him.

The dragonslayer gave a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his head and shifting his gaze. "Uh, hi Uncle Ddraig!" The Welsh Dragon was much larger now, over twice the height of Issei with a far more intimidating presence. "I thought you were asleep."

He was answered with a sigh. **"I was. Until I heard _someone_ reciting the chant for juggernaut drive. You do realize that the sacred gear only works when it's on your arm and I'm sealed in it, right?"** It wasn't the first time Issei had tries to use the sacred gear after hearing Ddraig talk about how much power it gave the wielder. At one point, he had fruitlessly tried to stick the pieces back together.

"Yeah, I know," Issei mumbled, put off. He plopped down on the rock, the cold ground hardly noticable anymore. "It's just that I don't want Dad to be disappointed."

The Red Dragon Emporer recognized this pattern well. A few of his hosts had not lived up to expectations set upon them by family, but none of them had Acnologia as a father. That dragon took things to the extreme. **"Partner,"** when he didn't get the boy's attention, he tried again. **"Issei, you're young. You can't expect to defeat a dragon only a year after learning dragonslayer magic, no matter what your father says."**

"Yeah," the boy countered, "well then how else am I supposed to become a dragon!?" He was almost snarling at this point. Honestly, Ddraig had no idea why his partner wanted to be a dragon so badly. Humans could be strong too, no matter what Acnologia claimed; he had seen it plenty of times, and those humans were hailed as heroes. The red dragon, ironically, was learning from Acnologia how to take a human form after learning that the chaos dragon could appear human. If he ever were to return to Earth, it would help immensely with remaining inconspicuous and not prompting all three factions to attack.

Anyways, Ddraig had a nephew to calm down. **"You already resemble your father. With his aid, it can't take more than another year."** Sure enough, with each dragon Acnologia and Issei killed, the latter gained more draconic features. While the kid couldn't actually defeat a dragon, Acnologia knew some trick to speed up the process at least ten times, meaning Issei looked less and less human by the day. It freaked Ddraig out, knowing the boy was gaining this power through murder, even if he didn't realize it.

"You think so?" There were practically stars in his eyes now. Surely, Issei knew that he looked far from human? Sharp teeth and fangs glinted in his mouth when he smiled. His pupils were slits now, threatening to disappear to resemble something closer to Acnologia's freaky, pupilless orbs. Miniature black claws adorned his fingers and toes, and small, skin-colored scales were forming over a quarter of his body. There were blue markings near each eyebrow and decorating each upper arm, a less obvious version of the vibrant decorations on his father's scales. Acnologia had once likened his appearance to dragon force, whatever that was. It semed, though, that there was no changing back to human until he was a full dragon.

"But what if I _still_ can't kill a dragon," Issei worried.

 **"Then I'll help you, you're my partner after all."** He had to change the topic before Issei got gloomy. It was tough to see such a cheerful kid beat down by such a ridiculous and arbitrary premise that his father forced on him. **"Want to go flying?"** That always got the kid's mind off of his problems.

"Awesome!" Issei had jumped on his uncle's back in a heartbeat.

Yeah, his new partner was a handful, but he'd deal with it. He always did.

.

Fiore x782

Issei was fourteen now, and he had changed quite a bit. For one, his presence and posture had become intimidating, especially since he stood at five foot six, a good height for his age. If it weren't for Ddraig's lessons in concealing his presence, magic power would have radiated off of him uncontrollably with a frightening blue aura. Such was the aura of a dragon, especially when said dragon was the adopted son of the Dragon of the Apocalypse. That didn't mean Issei held a candle to his old man, or Ddraig for that matter, but he couldn't consider himself fully human anymore.

While his hair was still brown and messy and his build lithe, there were two clearly noticeable differences. One, he had put some muscles on his thin frame, which was kind of irrelevant to his real strength, but it at least didn't make him look like a wimp. Two, he had gained tattoos similar to the ones his father had in both human and dragon form. The electric blue symbols and swirls were etched along his arms and chest, a sign that the dragonslayer had reached a point far beyond what was intended by the magic. It was like the markings of dragon force, a stage where a slayer could temporarily access the power of a dragon, when the body would appear more draconic. Issei and Acnologia, since they both were really dragons assuming a human form (no matter what Zeref claimed), had these markings permanently.

Ddraig, too, had changed over this time. While it was not as drastic as Issei's, he had regained some of his old power, now standing at half the height of Acnologia. In a true insult to his pride, Issei was a head taller in dragon form, even if the teen was weaker. It was a touchy subject that was obviously brought up every time Issei had one of his lessons with the Welsh Dragon. That wasn't the only thing different about the dragon. In addition to the slow return to his former glory, Acnologia had finally taught him how to appear human. Ever since he first learned how to properly perform the magic, he had spent far more time as a human than as a dragon.

Currently, Ddraig was supervising his nephew at the closest town, lavishly called Lavender town. Unlike the name might suggest, it was a down-to-earth place with very few wealthy and poor people. As it was in a remote location, it had very little contact with the rest of Fiore, something Ddraig appreciated even if the others didn't. Acnologia liked its proximity while Issei loved the shops, especially the bookstore. Ever since Ddraig taught the boy to read, both Kanji and Earthland's written word, he always liked reading. Either way, all three agreed that they needed a break from the frigid mountain.

Acnologia had wandered off long ago, leaving Issei and Ddraig to walk through the streets alone, attracting a lot of attention. See, Ddraig had such an attractive presence, as all dragons from his world did, that brought a lot of talk from the ladies. It didn't hurt that his human form was good-looking, far more than he could say for the Chaos Duo. His hair was a mid-neck length flaming red, falling down to his brow with spiky-looking bangs, and his eyes were the same fiery color. While only slightly thinner than Acnologia, he was well toned, and he didn't bother wearing six cloaks to cover himself. Unlike the white-haired dragon, he always wore a red t-shirt and black pants, nothing fancy. Issei, on the other hand, wore a black and blue cloak over his clothes, much like his father.

"Partner, I need to ask you something," Ddraig began

"Yeah?"

"You're always asking me about my nights with women." It was well known in Lavender Town that Ddraig was a player, often sleeping with one or even two chicks at some point during each visit. Issei, for some reason, loved the tales of his 'conquests,' much to Acnologia's disgust.

"Uh-huh. They're really interesting," the boy replied.

Ddraig flashed a sneaky grin. "So what is my drakeling up to, spending so much time in the adult section of the bookstore on the trips?"

Issei turned beet red. B-but, he always checked to make sure he wasn't followed! "I-I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"My nephew is discovering women for the first time!" Ddraig cried, comical tears flowing from his eyes as he threw his arms around his buddy. "I never thought I'd see the day!"

"Ah! You're squeezing me too tight!"

Ddraig relented a little. "I'll tell you what, Issei. Lets make a deal. I get Acnologia to buy you one book to bring home if you do something for me."

Issei's cheeks were red now, but he didn't want to hide his shame. This was an awesome deal! Short of his uncle buying him an erotic movie lacrima, there was no better gift for a horny teen! "I'll do anything!"

There was one thing that Acnologia staunchly kept from Ddraig, telling Issei to never give the red dragon it. "I want you to let me see that spellbook from our world."

.

Fiore, July x784

Gildarts Clive, S-class mage of Fairy Tail, was horrible at information gathering. See, he wasn't really the suave, clever guy that most people found themselves spilling their secrets to. He had the looks for suave: stubble, ginger hair, a muscular build, kind of a badass. The easiest way to describe it would be that he was good with women, but a little absentminded. While he wasn't looking for personal secrets, he still had a terrible time trying to find information on the strange black monster that had been sighted around Lavender Town. Four nearly a hundred years, small villages had disappeared and the council had issued a special quest for any powerful mages to find and slay the beast. None had returned. There were all kinds of superstitions, and he had trouble finding out which were bogus.

Hopefully, though, whatever he found at the peak of mount Zonia wasn't the omnipotent annihilator of those myths. He hadn't let loose for years, and the prospect of an all out fight to get justice for the beast's destruction made him eager. Still, he was weary of what he would find at the top, but he didn't even waver in his march up the mountain. Recently, too, there had been more sightings of the monster, and enormous craters had started appearing in Fiore with strange sightings of a black dragon near them. If it really was a dragon, it definitely wasn't the kind that Natsu loved.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself and cracking his knuckles. It had took him years to find the dragon's location, yet the hardest and most dangerous leg of his journey lay ahead. If only it wasn't snowing, he could be focused.

There! A shadow in the dense cloud, the shape of a person! "Hey!" He called out.

As he got closer, he could make out the features on the man. Messy brown hair, a large black cape with blue designs. It was hard to tell, but the man appeared to be a teen, and was thin, more like a civilian than a mage. "Hey, kid! There's a dangerous monster here, get away!"

"Monster?" The teen replied. "The hell, man? Not cool. My dad's a dragon, much better than a weirdass monster."

"Your dad!" Gildarts replied, jaw hanging open. Quickly, he composed himself, his determined grin returning. "So you're a dragonslayer then?"

"I guess you could say that," the kid shrugged. "But I'm much more powerful than a normal dragonslayer," he finished with a grin.

Gildarts crossed his arms. "Then, before you try to fight me, let me ask you one thing." He was met with a nod. "How do you call that thing that destroyed villages your father?"

The teen barely needed to think to answer that. "They were too weak to defend themselves, so they deserved it. Dad could wipe out the country, but he chooses not to 'cause you aren't worth it, and 'cause Uncle would be super pissed."

The mage groaned. 'Three opponents, no wonder it's a 100 year job!' He couldn't back down now, not when he would shame Fairy Tail's name. "Fine then. Before we start, what's your name, kid? I'm Gildarts, here to stop you guys." Sometimes, he was just too laid back for dramatics.

"Dad doesn't like it when I give humans my name," he pondered aloud. "Whatever, I'm Issei, here to... Well my dad told me to beat you. Man, I wanted that to be cooler."

"I'll warn you, I'm bad a holding back," Gildarts admitted, letting loose a little magic power.

"Well, Dad's letting me read my 'adult book' when I win," Issei replied, grinning like mad. "So let's get it on!"

"Adult book, huh?" Gildarts chuckled. Sounded like kid was just as quirky as Natsu, the dragonslayer in Fairy Tail, though Issei was evil.

"Hell yeah!"

The declaration was followed by an enormous roar from the teen, as a huge wave of blue-colored magic left his mouth. Gildarts simply held up a hand and used his crash magic to nullify the entire attack. Though it was a technique that could eliminate almost all ranged attacks, his hand was red, burning with a little pain. 'Man,' Fairy Tail's Ace thought, 'can't let that hit me by surprise. I'd be done for.'

Gildarts took the moment to drop his large cape to the ground, revealing his muscled arms and thin bodyarmor. Issei, in turn, took off his own overcoat. The blue tattoos decorating his arms in intricate designs were clearly a manifestation of his magic, Gildarts noted. But the boy used no magic circle or words, so the mage didn't know what element he used.

'Here he comes!' Issei charged at the man, bringing back his right arm. As with Natsu's attacks, Gildarts noticed a blue energy gathering around his hand, but something else was happening. He arm was growing scales, and his hand was now tipped with wicked claws. "Chaos Dragon's Fist!"

By the time Gildarts blocked the attack with his forearm, he was blown away by the force, knowing there would be a bruise later. He couldn't waste the opportunity, so he slammed the kid's arm with one elbow and gathered white crash magic in the other hand, punching him in the chest. Issei skidded back, his dragon arm on his chest.

The reprive for the two lasted moments when Gildarts reached out a hand as if to grab Issei, sending an wave of crash magic. Issei, knowing there was no dodging, dove headfirst at the man, punching him again with his dragon arm.

Deftly moving to the side, Gildarts slapped the punch away before returning with a left hook. Issei tried blocking, but he didn't have the experience or reaction time. Ignoring the sickening crack of the powerful hit on his jaw, he gathered blue magic at his foor a kick. After he was blocked, the two launched into a flurry of punches and kicks. While Issei was quick, using his magic with expert precision, Gildarts was experienced and packed a mean punch.

The two traded blows until Gildarts saw an opening, grabbing Issei's hand mid-swing and blasting the boy away with a condensed beam of crash magic. Issei flew through the air over twenty feet, landing flat on his back, suffering only minor bruising.

"You're strong for a human," Issei complimented, dusting himself off as his stood. "But I'm a dragon, and you have no hope of defeating me!" The Fairy Tail mage wondered for a moment how the kid could be so upbeat (if a bit pervy) one moment and condescending the next.

The scales traveled over his entire body before his physique bulked up considerably and he grew a couple feet. His face pushed out, looking like a dragon's blunted maw and sharp teeth filled his mouth. The blue lines covered his entire body as his shirt ripped off, two bird-like wings growing from his back. His feet and other hand grew claws, and his head grew four backwards facing plates, resembling horns. Then his eyes turned fully white, with no pupil, giving him a far more demonic appearance. In seconds, he had gone from human to humanoid dragon.

"Ehh!" Gildarts exclaimed. "Okay, fine then. I guess I have to go all out." With an excited grin, a white aura appeared around the man. For five full feet around his body, the pale energy raged from the ground, ripping the ground itself and pushing all of the snow away from the man. The light extended like a beacon hundreds of feet into the air.

"Come on!" The mage commanded.

Issei obliged with a roar, body bursting alive with blue energy. The energy then converged in his wings and legs, and his pushed off his clawed feet speeds barely visible to a mage as adept as Gildarts. He then crashed into the mage with a powerful headbut, only to be met with that white crash magic.

Booom!

There was an enormous explosion as the two destructive magics clashed, creating a huge hole in the side of the mountain and sending rocks tumbling down.

'Damn, that hurt,' Gildarts thought, planning his next move. While the redhead mage was falling into the large crater the two just created, Issei remained high in the air with his wings, crossing his arms. There was no way he could sucessfully attack the kid in this position. 'Fine then, I'll get him next time he comes at me.'

"Pathetic," the teen muttered, taking a deep breath in. The dense clouds, the air, and even some of the snow on the grounds was pulled up, as if fueling the next attack.

'He'a going to try that breath attack again,' the mage knew. For a few tense seconds, Issei gathered the energy in his body, a tumultuous storm easily felt by anyone in the vicinity.

Then, he roared. It shook the mountain as a huge, dense beam of blue light, twenty yards across was sent crashing towards his opponent.

'Shit!' Then there was a huge cloud of debris, the crater now extending halfway towards the mountain's base, and the rest of the mountain was barely large enough to support the peak above them.

Issei panted as the dust died down, knowing that he was nowhere near strong enough to do that twice, and that was banking on it taking up his opponents energy or killing him. It was a powerful roar, easily enough to destroy a town. He wasn't a fighting a town though, he was fighting a mage, one that was clearly powerful. But no matter the he wouldn't go full dragon to beat this opponent. It would kill his father's opinion of him. So, no matter how tired he was, he was going to finish this guy off in his hybrid form.

As the dust died down, something moved in the center. Issei ducked, pushing himself down with his wings as a giant glowing net of disassembly magic flew over his head. 'That was a close-'

His thought was interrupted by a golden fist buried deep in his stomach. Shit, he had flown too far down to avoid it! "Haja Kensē: Itten!" Gildarts exclaimed with stalwart determination in his eyes.

In a huge bolt of spiraling white-gold energy, the powerful uppercut sent Issei flying hundreds of feet into the sky. Quickly, he beat his wings, steading himself with some magic power, then dropped back lower. Blood was dripping from his maw, that punch had been powerful. It seemed his opponent fared even worse. Fairy Tail's Ace was battered, his clothes tattered from the dragon's roar, and he was taking deep breaths, wiping sweat from his brow. That he managed to block the roar, leaving an insanely tall pillar supporting him was an amazing feat. When it came to tactics, the man was definitely no slouch either

It was an intense fight, though quick, and both were feeling the effects. Issei coughed out some blood. 'My ribs are bruised. I'd have never thought that there were humans this strong and talented out there.'

"You're tough, kid," Gildarts complimented.

Issei wiped the blood from himself with an arm, lowering himself to be eye-level with his enemy. "Not bad," he complimented.

"I didn't know dragonslayers had the power you do. I'm trying to imagine the kid in my guild as a ferocious fire dragon," Gildarts thought aloud, ignoring the intense mood. "Ah, never mind me, I'm kinda getting old."

"You know, for a human, you're alright," Issei decided, letting out a smile. Of course, it looked particularly vicious with all the sharp teeth.

But the peace couldn't last. "I've still got some fight left in me," Gildarts claimed, rolling his shoulder. He activated his crash magic, shattering the pillar immediately below him, letting him fall to the base of the crater. He looked up to see the human-dragon descending gracefully. Man, wings were badass, he decided.

"You're almost out of magic power after blocking the roar. You should probably leave before anything happens," Issei suggested. He refused to admit how evenly matched they were.

The man chuckled, amused. "I'm a mage of Fairy Tail, kid. I may not be able to beat your father if he's any stronger than you, but I'm not backing away from a good fight. Maybe I'll knock some sense into you, and you'll tell him that you should protect the weak, not kill them."

"Protect them?" What? Issei never heard such a thing, not even from Ddraig. Sure, his father protected him once or twice, but that was because Issei was going to become a dragon, practically a symbol of power. He didn't understand what obligation he'd have to protect random people without purpose.

"Yep," Gildarts affirmed. "Weak, strong, it doesn't matter. Everyone's got a story, kid, and no one deserves to have theirs cut short. One day, when you have friends, loved ones you want to protect, not even the fate of the world will weigh heavier than their lives. Then, you'll understand."

Issei stared for a moment, digesting the words. This human, far weaker than either of his teachers, suddenly sounded far wiser than the two combined. Sure, he didn't understand the words at all, hardly considering them all. But he still considered it, if just for a moment.

 **"Imbecile!"** A voice roared, an enormous shadow descending over the battlefield. Gildarts looked up as the shape slowly made itself clear. It was a dragon, a quadrupedal replica of Issei, but much, much larger. It dwarfed the two exponentially, and the power and rage radiating off the beast was practically palpable. The thought struck him that this was the kid's father.

It roared, slashing a claw at Gildarts' left leg. In a panic, he tried to block it with his left hand, using all of the magic he had left to prevent injury. Then, he heard a sickening sound, the sound of flesh being ripped open. 'He cut through my defense like it was nothing,' Gildarts gasped, coughing up blood. His left arm and leg laid on the ground, completely severed.

'Shit, I need a hospital.' He could barely stand on his remaining leg, but he wasn't going to lay down for this bastard.

 **"You fill my son's head with lies!?** " The dragon roared, baring his teeth inches from the man's face. **"I would kill you, vermin, but it is not my place. Issei!"**

Put off by the surprise amputation of his new sorta-friend, Issei could hardly think about such a thing. "Y-you want me to?" He coughed up more blood, wiping it away before his father noticed.

 **"You heard me!"** His father shouted back angrily.

"I-I can't!" Issei protested. "Please, he's not weak. He's strong, like me!" Though he was using less than a quarter of his power, the maximum that he could hold in this form, he knew that any human facing a fourth of a dragon's power was beyond impressive.

Acnologia huffed angrily. **"Strong! Hah! He could barely contend with your hybrid form! Has Ddraig convinced you to act this pathetic. Do not make me repeat myself."** When Issei did nothing, the black dragon moved away, threateningly placing a razor sharp claw on the teen's scaled chest. **"You may have power, my son, but it pales in comparison to mine. Do not defy me."**

"Kid," Gildarts grinned. "Remember what I said. Just kill me and get it over with, make your dad proud." He accepted his fate. If that dragon wanted him dead, there was nothing that would stop him, not even his son.

Issei rubbed at his eye, feeling a wetness there. 'A tear?' He shouldn't be able to cry, he wasn't even human. How was he this weak!? "Gildarts. I'm... I'm sorry."

Without any further words he closed his eyes and drove his hand towards the man's heart, intent on ending it quickly to prevent suffering. But it never reached the mage, caught by a smaller, human hand. "That's enough, you two."

"Ddraig?" Issei mumbled, the word barely forming on his dry tongue. The red haired man gave him a reassuring smile, letting his hand go.

Slowly Issei's black scales receded and his jaw returned to normal, leaving the dragonslayer entirely human. He wasn't sure what caused that to happen, only that he knew that he wasn't going to be a monster and kill this man. What he was just about to do disgusted him. Gildarts was strong, maybe even strong enough to beat Issei in his hybrid form, but now no one would know thanks to Acnologia's interference.

"It's alright Issei, you don't have to be a mindless killing machine. Is that what you wanted, Acnologia?" Ddraig questioned, looking up.

 **"You dare interfere, Ddraig?"** It was growing dangerous again, the two releasing their potent energies. It was a time bomb.

The man scowled. "I know all about how you raise Issei. You teach him that everyone else is worthless, ants that can be easily crushed. You're a terrible father, Acnologia. All you want is power, that's all you ever wanted."

 **"Oh?"** The dragon replied, inches away from the Welsh. **"And I am sure you are a more capable teacher?"** The bitter sarcasm was obvious, rage fuelling the dragon.

Ddraig decided to turn to Issei, ignoring the dragon that was way beyond acceptable boundaries, inches from taking his head off. "You can come with me, or stay with your father. I'm getting this guy medical attention." With that, he walked over the still-standing Gildarts and draped the man over.

"Thanks," the mage said quietly.

Issei looked between his father and his uncle, trying to run thoughts through his head as fast as possible. On one hand, his father was there his entire life. He had always delivered on his promises and always gave Issei a way to become stronger. But Ddraig was right, Acnologia really only cared for himself. He wanted Issei as a slayer for his own legacy, not to help Issei. Ddraig, though, he put up with the black dragon just to teach Issei about Earth. He even taught him how to read and write, in both world's languages, considering that Acnologia hadn't deemed the skill important. Then there was what Gildarts told him.

A thought struck him. 'Has my dad even been nice?' Sure, he sometimes praised Issei, but he was always so harsh about it. Often he could be flat out cruel. In the books (not the adult kind) he read, though he dismissed it at the time as heresy, the parents were understanding and compassionate.

And so he made his decision.

"I love you Dad," Issei was almost in tears, eyes watering, "but I'm leaving with Uncle Ddraig."

Surprisingly, the dragon wasn't upset. Instead, he fixed Issei with a look only he could understand, the same look he had when he first found the boy. **"When you grow hungry for more power, you have only yourself to blame. When you find you are unable to protect those you grow compassionate for, you will crave destruction. You are my legacy, my son, no matter what your whelp of an uncle says. And when you realize this, I will not be there to help you."** He spread his wings and faced away from Issei.

Then, with a gust of wind, Acnologia was gone, soaring off into the snowy sky, vanishing into the whiteness.

Once again, Issei's father had left him.

.

AN: I did this chapter in a bunch of short segments for two reasons. First, it makes it easier to cover a large span of time without a lot of 'narration' instead of action. Second, it gives plenty of room for flashbacks. So, that means that the Ddraig-Acnologia-Issei time bomb of a family will return.

The chapters won't be so jumpy when we get to the Dxd universe.

Kudos to any FT fan who notices the difference in Gildarts' injuries.

I was a bit nervous about the fight scene, but I think it turned out alright in the end.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Still looking for a beta reader!

I bring you chapter 3, without all the plot twists of the last chapter.

As for pairings in this story, I'm still thinking about them. So far I've got IsseixRiasxTiamat. Suggestions are welcome, but please be reasonable about it.

Also, I am NOT planning on having Issei as a devil. I could change my mind, but I doubt it.

So, I've been reading the Dxd light novel, and because of that, I'm changing one thing for when Issei gets back to Kuoh: I'm adding in honorifics. Since they aren't from Fiore, Issei won't use them as often, but the other characters will.

Apologies for taking so long to post this chapter... I'm recovering from surgery.

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Chapter 3: Return

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Lavender Town's hospital was honestly not up to standards. Mages rarely ever visited the town, and people rarely got into accidents, so their ability to care for Gildarts was sorely lacking. On the plus side, there was no wait, and it wasn't busy. With magic, medical facilities were capable of fantastic wonders, such as installing fully functioning prosthetic limbs, even if hospital was somewhat unprepared. The crash mage had two of those artificial, wooden limbs now, inciting a pirate joke from Ddraig. Thanks to Acnologia, Issei was pretty beat up over the entire situation.

Currently, Ddraig, and Issei were in the recovery room, keeping their new friend company. Turns out, Ddraig and Gildarts were shockingly similar, minus the whole species aspect. The nurse had even asked if they were brothers at one point, probably because of the hair color. Their baffled reactions were a welcome source of laughter from Issei.

"You know, Ddraig," Gildarts began, "you two really didn't have to accompany me. But it's nice that you did."

"What else were we supposed to do? Our home was destroyed, and Acnologia flew away Great Red knows where. Besides, I think Issei's got man-crush on you," the Welsh Dragon teased.

Issei was immediately on the defensive. "I like women, you jerk!"

"Trust me, you've made that abundantly clear," his uncle assured, and the brunette knew exactly what he was insinuating.

"Urgghh," Issei groaned. "Why do you always have a comeback?" Every time, every dang time. And Issei knew he was absolutely not a pervert, no matter what that jerk said.

Gildarts grinned. Things like this reminded him of Fairy Tail. "You may be a tough fighter, but you're decades too young to win a battle of wit."

There was a short silence following that, when the mage decided it was about time to head home. He swung his legs over the bed and stood hesitantly. When the fake leg held, he went back to his casual posture. "Thanks for your help. Now that I know this quest is a dead end, I'm going back to report in to the guild. It's been three years, and I'm sure everything's changed."

"I guess you could call it a dead end," Ddraig agreed. "Fighting that dragon is dangerous, even for me."

"So you're leaving?" Issei addressed the recuperating mage.

"Yep, kid. Fairy Tail's my home."

That got Issei thinking about home. Not mount Zonia, but Kuoh, Japan. Now that his reason for staying flew away, he could go back to his home world, where he belonged. There were answers there, about his real parents, and even Ddraig's explanations of fallen angels wouldn't change that. He was too young and too traumatized to remember what happened, and some newly reawakened part of him wondered if his mother could be alive. Or, he ventured to consider, his father, since he never really did see the man die.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Ddraig asked.

"I want to go back to Kuoh."

Gildarts chose to interject. "Kuoh? Never heard of that place before."

"Most people haven't," the Welsh Dragon replied. "It is a long way from Fiore."

The mage hummed in response, thoughts trailing away from the conversation. "You do look a bit like a foreigner." Then again, Fiore's population was so diverse that everyone was completely different.

Ddraig sternly addressed Issei. "You can't run away from your problems, partner."

"I know," the teen sighed. "Dad... Acnologia was right on one thing, though. When I go back, it will be because I want to." He looked up at the cieling and sighed. "I've lived on a mountain for 13 years Ddraig, running away from my problems."

Gildarts was floored that Issei had never been to another part of Fiore. Lavender town and a frigid mountain hardly compared to famous tourist attractions, such as the sunny beaches or the magnificent capital, Crocus. Even the forests by Magnolia would be an interesting and welcome change. Even though he felt strongly about this, he knew it was not his place to interject. He had met the boy a week ago, hardly cause to tell him how to live his life.

"You might regret the answers you find. If you lose everything, you could end up just like him. I've seen it before." When many of his previous hosts had activated juggernaut drive, the ultimate form of the boosted gear that granted incredible power at the cost of the user's life force, they had lost themselves completely. The last thing Ddraig wanted was to subject his partner to more pain, and finding out what the fate of his human parents was could end poorly.

"Like Acnologia?" Issei growled out. "Just say his name for once! He may have been my father, but I'm nothing like him!" Only then did Issei realize that he was near yelling at the one person who stood by him. "I've still got you, Uncle, no matter what happens."

"Of course you do," the Red Dragon Emperor assured. When he thought about it, Issei losing it over the fate of his human parents might have been a stretch. If anything, the teen would shrug it off as a product of the 'human weakness' Acnologia had loved to point out.

"Kid." Gildarts surprised the two by commenting. "A home is filled with people who you care about more than yourself. It doesn't matter where you go, as long as you find yourself someone you can love." That was one thing that Fairy Tail taught him. Even if he was a lone wolf that preferred peace and quiet, the guild held a place in his heart and would forever be somewhere he return to.

Issei's thoughts returned to when he was three years old. All he could remember about his old parents was his father's thick glasses. If that was his home so long ago, he at least owed the place a visit. Besides, like Gildarts said, he would be with someone close, Ddraig.

Ddraig, on the other hand, was a bit upset. 'I've lived millenia longer than him, and he's so much wiser. Not cool.' Maybe he was a little jealous that the mage swooped in and commanded so much respect from his nephew. "Issei." That snagged the kids attention quickly. "I think this could be beneficial for you. I'm due for a return too; can't keep the White One waiting much longer, after all. But I need you to promise me something."

The kid locked eyes with his uncle before the latter continued. "I want you to live like a normal teenager. You'll go to school, make friends, whatever kids these days do. More than that, though, I want you to learn how to be a human, not a dragon."

"Fine," Issei relented. "If it's just for a year." Just because he had a change of heart about his father, it didn't mean that he stopped considering humans weak. Gildarts was a clear exception, but going to school (Ddraig had told him all about the stupid human schools) seemed like a little bit of a stretch.

Spending the last weak riddled with guilt while Gildarts recovered had given him plenty of opportunity to reflect on his views of the world. Before, he would never have considered such a proposition. Humans were inconsequential, hardly something a chaos dragon should concern themselves with. Now, though, Issei knew that they weren't as weak as he was told. Willpower, Gildarts had told him, was something that humans had an abundance of, something that Issei had. Still, he was Acnologia's son, and he wasn't about to let the whole of humanity off that easy.

"When do you want to leave?" Ddraig asked.

"Once Gildarts is okay to go back to Fairy Tail." His sense of responsibility demanded that.

The ace mage cut in again. "You don't need to worry about me. See, I can walk perfectly fine on this thing." Gildarts claimed lightly, taking a step forward. Only then did he realize that he had no idea how to walk with the prosthetic leg, stumbling a little. When he tried to right himself, he slipped, landing on the floor. In a bout of carelessness, his crash magic shattered the floor beneath him.

"AHHH!" There was a shrill, feminine scream. Before the man knew what was happening, he had landed in a nurse's office. "Get out!" She yelled shoving him through the door and slamming it on his still working arm.

Issei, barely refraining from giggling, fixed Ddriag with a grin. "I think waiting might be a good idea."

.

Issei felt as if he might cry, not that he would or anything. Any self respecting dragon would never display such weakness. Still, how else could he express the pain and overwhelming sadness that he felt? Gildarts was going to leave, to go back to Fairy Tail and give the guild master the grave news about the 100 year quest. 'Why would I feel this way?' Issei tried to understand why he'd be so broken up over the human leaving, but he couldn't. Even going flying the day before hadn't cleared his head.

They were standing a few miles out of the city, in the forest. Despite Ddraig's kind offer to fly the man to Magnolia, Gildarts had refused, preferring to walk instead. "So, you guys are going home too?" Fairy Tail's ace questioned.

"Seems so," Ddraig supplied. "There is one problem though."

"A problem? There's always one of those," Gildarts complained.

A fiery red magic circle appeared in the air, and the Welsh Dragon reached in and pulled out a grey tome. "This thing has the spell to do it, but for some reason it only works when humans use it." The dragon had no idea why it was created that way, but it was a deadly tool for any one of the very few powerful humans on Earth. He only hoped that a longinus wielder would never find it.

"That is weird. Magic is magic after all," the mage reasoned. In Fiore, even non-mages could use spells stored in artifacts. While this book, in contrast, seemed to draw from the users magic and incantations to cast a spell.

"That's true. It's odd that you haven't asked why we need this to get home."

"It's odd that you're both dragons," Gildarts returned jokingly, "but I don't care about that either. I'm getting to old to be surprised anymore. You wouldn't believe the stuff that happens on paid jobs."

While the ace mage's mind drifted off, Ddraig turned his attention to Issei. "You haven't said a word, partner."

"No, I guess I haven't," the teen replied. "Gildarts," he drew the man's attention, "I will understand what you told me, I promise."

Gildarts gave him a strange gesture, holding up his index finger and thumb. "I would expect nothing less from you, kid. If we'd meet again, I'd love to see how you've grown."

Issei grinned. "Don't think you'll get a lucky punch in then, old man."

"Too bad we didn't get to finish," the mage lamented. Rarely, if ever did he have the change to go all out. He just caused too much destruction, like how Zonia Mountain was now nothing more than a mutilated pile of rubble. "But next time, you won't have the luxury." The friendly banter reminded him of Fairy Tail and brought a short pang of homesickness.

"Awesome!" Declared the teen. While saddening that they were parting ways, with the promise of them meeting again, Issei could accept it.

A loud cough drew the attention back to Ddraig. "If you're both finished saying your goodbyes, I think we should get going." He was hit with a bunch of 'aww's from the two. "Gildarts, this page should have all you need to cast the spell. It claims that it works without prior experience as long as the incantation and pentagram are flawless." While the spell had supposedly killed Issei's human father, Ddraig saw no possibility that anything like that could happen to a mage as resilient as Gildarts. After all, the man was able to stand and talk while his left side was torn asunder.

The mage scoured the text, his jaw dropping. "I have no idea how to pronounce any of these words or draw a pentagram!" In fact, he couldn't understand any of it, even if he did recognize the letters.

That triggered an eye roll from the red dragon. "I already drew the pentagram while the two of you were trash talking." Before either could protest, saying that it wasn't trash talking, Ddraig continued. "Never mind. Issei, step next to me. Gildarts, when you finish reading, toss the spellbook back to us."

"Got it. Well, if I could go toe to toe with a dragon, it shouldn't be too hard to pronounce this insane language." While Issei smirked, his uncle sighed at the flawed logic. "Alright, then, let's get started."

And so, Gildarts struggled through four lines of Latin.

And as the chant reached its close, the Fairy Tail mage tossed the book back to Ddraig, and the two dragons began glowing white, an immense amount of magic power flowing to them from Gildarts.

Before the mage could process what was happening, they were gone.

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As the light died down, the two blinked to find themselves in a dusty old room, devoid of funiture. At one point, the place could have been called a home, but all that resided there now were spider webs and small rodents scurrying around. The white paint, if it can be called that, was chipped and split apart by cracks running down the wall, as if no maintenance whatsoever had been put into the house. A couple old boxes rested in the corner, forgetten by the previous owner. Issei looked around, as if expecting to suddenly remember what it was like to grow up in this home. He tried to recall the face that his human father's glasses belonged to or what it felt like to have a mother, but nothing magical happened.

"So this is it," Ddraig stated matter-of-factly to break the silence. He closed the book and held it to his side, took a step away from where they landed, and began examining the house.

"I don't remember," the brunette replied, downcast.

Ddraig actually laughed, a short, deep chuckle in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Come on, partner, you can't expect to remember everything in an instant. We should look around for something." He hated seeing his nephew feel so down, something that had unfortunately become the norm lately.

Issei wasn't moved by the suggestion. "Alright. I can do that." Ddraig patted the kid on the back, a light reassuring tap that didn't go unappreciated, then he found the stairs, deciding it was best to leave Issei to check the first floor.

As the creaking of the rickety stairs began to fade, Issei forced himself to check inside the boxes. Slowly, he felt his curiosity overpower his trepidation as he began pulling things out. First, there was a stuffed bear, the kind he had as a little boy. Then he saw a picture, one of him with a big smile on his face and the number four in the background. 'A birthday?' Issei wondered. He barely remembered which day of the year it was, much less what it felt to celebrate one. He dug in further, finding some ratty old envelopes with nothing in them and a bunch of silvery utensils. There was a board game in there too with an 8 by 8 grid, alternating black and white squares. An image flashed in his head of a black-haired man with glasses playing against another adult, one whose face Issei couldn't recall.

'I wish I remembered what family is like,' Issei sighed, frustrated. He wanted memories, not a bunch of silverware and a board game. His surname was Hyoudou, but he knew nothing about the Hyoudous.

For a few minutes, he kept sifting through the junk, finding nothing useful, until there was another picture. Though it was torn and dusty, it was clearer than anything else in the box. It was them, his human parents. The ones who were supposed to raise him, not throw him away like Acnologia. The man didn't seem too happy to have his picture taken, and his eyes seemed closed, even through the thick glasses. He had messy black hair, kind of like Issei's own but shorter. The woman looked like she knew the man wasn't paying attention, about to point it out. She had uniform bangs that were eyebrow length and the rest of her brown hair was smooth and stopped above her shoulders. Judging by the man's tuxedo and the woman's white dress, it was some important occasion that Issei didn't know.

He flipped it over. It read 'Hyoudou Takeshi and Honoka, August 28th, 1993.' Those must have been their names! He had no idea how the dates worked here, so that was useless.

"You find anything, partner?" The voice made him jump. He must have been quite distracted.

He passed the redhead the picture. "Just this." As Ddraig scrutinized the picture, he decided to voice some of his thoughts. "I think I want to go outside now and learn about Japan. Is that okay?" He half expected Ddraig, just like Acnologia, to say 'no' and lecture him.

"'Course it is. You don't need my permission."

"Really?"

The dragon rolled his eyes. "If you flare your energy, I'll be there. Besides, it's midday, and no battles ever happen during the day." That was true, since the one thing the three factions agreed on was not exposing themselves to random humans, which ment staying under the radar.

Issei's glum expression went from surprised to a large grin. He did always love visiting the towns of Fiore after all, and he had a whole new world without the regulations and rules that bound him in the last one. "Awesome!"

Before his uncle could appreciate the change in demeanor, the teen was off. 'He always was a little too free spirited,' Ddraig sighed. The dragon wasn't too interested in exploring himself, rationalizing that 'the human world can't have changed much in the past couple decades.'

In retrospect, after learning just how far technology had come, that was probably the most humiliating thought he'd ever had.

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In a small room sat a rather average man with jet black hair and golden bangs, his feet comfortably resting on the office desk in front of him. His eyes were a vibrant purple, his most unusual feature. Resting in the palm of his hand was an odd yellow lance-like dagger with a purple jewel that he was idly tossing to himself. On the shelves lining the walls rested other heirloom-looking ancient artifacts of similar origin ranging from armor to an unusual length of chain. He had a lot of free time, and he rather liked to think of himself as a collector of sorts.

"Azazel-sama!" Someone yelled, almost imperceptible from the distance. He sighed, waiting for the shouting to get closer until the door slammed open with shocking force.

Standing there, almost panting, was a very interesting looking woman. She had round, clear, black-rimmed glasses that kept her strikingly green eyes visible. She wore a business suit and kept her black hair in a bun. There was also the fact that she had a stricking figure, perfect enough for Azazel to make her a secretary. Of course, she was quite the shrewd woman as well, but Azazel liked to kill two birds with one stone.

"Azazel-sama!"

"Yes, Val?" Her name was Variel, though Azazel much prefered the nickname. It teased her and annoyed Vali as well.

She seemed a little flustered at his calm tone. "This is important! And why are your feet on your desk, you're supposed to be our Governer General," she accused.

This is why he didn't often have a secretary. Always telling him to act like his post required instead of staying calm and relaxed. "So, what's the news?"

"Our tracking division spotted an item previously thought lost, the one you ordered them to moniter for years ago."

That didn't help whatsoever. "You're going to have to be more specific. I've got them looking for hundreds of magical items and sacred gears." It was all for that hobby of his, trying to recreate sacred gears to aid his research on improving his own artificial sacred gear. Such was the spear he had in his hand now, called the Downfall Dragon Spear, containing the essence of the Dragon King Fafnir, who agreed to aid him in his research.

Her face was pink now. She was either angry at her boss, embarrassed that he wasn't acting as she thought he should, or ashamed at the familiarity he addressed her with. Certainly, though a tough fallen angel in her own right, she was an odd one. "It's that book! It was called, umm, something of the Void..."

"Do you mean Secrets of the Void, the spell tome that a magician stole eleven years ago?" She nodded. "Hmm... that is important news... that book contains powerful spells that only magicians can use."

Variel was confused. Rarely, if ever, did humans work directly for the Grigori, the organization of fallen angels that Azazel led. When they did, they were normally stray exorcists or exiled priests, not magicians capable of high-level magic. If only magicians could use it, what worth was it to the organization? "So what made you put it on the top priority list?"

"It hides a secret I'd prefer to stay hidden," he explained. "That means I'm going myself to retrieve this, and once I find it, I'll put it somewhere no one can find it. We can't have a repeat of the last time." He stood up, a few inches taller than his secretary. Despite his somewhat jovial attitude, Variel knew he was serious. She would never pry the information from him, not on his life. "So where was it."

"The same place it disappeared, a househld in Kuoh, Japan." When she saw him leaving, she tried to stop him. "You can't go alone, sir." She would be a suitable distraction if there was trouble.

The Governer General laughed. "I'm not alone, Val. I'm taking Fafnir with me."

She scowled. "That doesn't count."

"This is why I don't usually have a secretary. You all just don't know how to lighten up," the man pointed out with an exhasperated sigh.

"Wait, before you go, there was more information," Variel tried in a desperate stall attempt to get the man thinking about his actions. The Grigori was having a lot of internal issues, and she couldn't let Azazel's leadership seem weak, and there was no way she'd stop just because the man told her to lighten up. If he went on this trip and was injured, it could spell disaster for the organization.

"Oh?"

"Kokabiel didn't check in again this month." It wasn't much, but surely it was enough to get him to pause for a moment, right?

His laugh resumed, making her glare even more at the leader. "He _is_ a fallen angel, Val. You can't expect him to be much good at following rules." Though he said that, Azazel was counting his fellow leader's infractions. 'Kokabiel is getting out of hand...' Perhaps this warranted a conversation with the fallen, but it certainly wasn't as important as the spell tome.

"I won't be gone long," Azazel stated as some measure of reassurance. A purple magic circle appeared under him, and his body dissolved into blue particles in seconds.

'Won't be gone long, my ass... He'll probably go to a bar afterwards,' the secretary sighed, deciding that it might be a good idea to go back to financial. Azazel was a charismatic and spectacular leader, but he was an awful guy to try to manage. He did things on his own time in his own way, regardless of the consequences. He wasn't reckless, nor was he dumb, he was just an enigma that no one understood.

'I do hope he can handle this without incident.'

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As Ddraig sat on the stairs and Issei was out doing whatever in the town (he had warned the kid that he could not use magic) he couldn't stop thinking about the past month. After Acnologia going ballistic and finally snapping a few weeks ago, the teen had changed from his upbeat self. That was expected from such an event, but the Welsh Dragon knew that his nephew would be like this for a while. That was actually why he suggested human school in the first place, to help the teen meet people his age and learn that there's more to life than what Acnologia says. Issei needed some new goals, or he'd find himself in a bottomless pit that there was no escaping from.

But, hopefully, the kid was having fun now, seeing his old home with new eyes. It was nice that, despite how Issei viewed humans and weakness in general, he never acted like that in public. That was one thing that Ddraig prided himself on, helping Issei to not be an ass. Gildarts was a fantastic influence in that respect as well.

'Ugh,' Ddraig groaned in an epiphany, 'I'm a lonely dragon, aren't I? I get some peace and quiet and spend it fretting over Issei.' He would have never thought he could change so much in only a few years just because of an intimidating dragon and a bratty kid. Not only had he finally become the teacher that every boosted gear user had wished he was, he had learned how to become human and completely conceal his presence. He wasn't even plotting against Albion!

Then, suddenly, a dark purple magic circle appeared in front of him, startling Ddraig out of his thoughts. 'Company already? Seems the universe has a sense of irony.' He stood up, prepared to beat the tar out of whatever being was unfortunate enough to bother him.

As a man materialized, the dragon's eyes widened in recognition. 'Azazel? He must be here for the book.' His stance relaxed.

Azazel eyes the redhead in front of him, curious. He sensed no enormous power from the apparent human, but he could not deny the peculiar feeling in the back of his skull. "Well then," he commented, "mind telling me if there are any ancient relics around?" He twirled his artificial sacred gear, pointing the tip at the Welsh Dragon.

"Come on, Azazel. Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

That put a contemplating look on the fallen's face. "Old friend. On second thought, your voice is a little familiar. Hmm..." He took a few moments, just thinking about this. "I'm drawing a blank here." He had met so man people, particularly women, in his thousands of years alive.

"Hah," the dragon laughed with a sly grin. "Last we met, I was sealed in someone's arm."

"No way," Azazel muttered. This man couldn't be... "Ddraig?" The boosted gear had disappeared completely eleven years ago with no sign of reappearing. It may not have affected Vali, but it surely had an impact on Azazel, who takes pride in his tracking skills with sacred gears. "How is this even possible?"

"Being released from a sacred gear, travelling dimensions, or taking a human form?" He joked, making Azazel feel even more lost. "I've had an unusual past couple years." That was an understatement!

"So this means that the one who was sent away all those years ago was the Seikiryuutei," the fallen pondered, connecting the dots. "Another world entirely, huh? Oh, yeah," he added at the dragon's surprise, "I know exactly what this book is. That is why it was so heavily guarded at the church and why my men wasted no time in retrieving it, assuming that those who stole it were a threat." The existence of a whole other world could bring ruin upon either their world or the other, depending on the strength of both. It was something Azazel, who had been pushing a policy of nonaggression the past few hundred years, did not desire in the least.

"Yes, Hyoudou Issei," Ddraig confirmed, before sizing up the fallen angel in front of him with a dangerous look. "His goal is to learn what has become of his parents. They were the ones you chased and murdered."

"Whoa, hold on here," Azazel tried to placate. "I didn't murder anyone, nor was I going to. I was actually going to give them a job offer once I learned the kid held the Boosted Gear."

"You're telling me that Issei's human father sacrificed himself for nothing? The pain he suffered for the last years was worthless?" If there was one partner Ddraig had ever come to care for, it was Issei. The dragon may not have been angry, yet, but Azazel had some explaining to do.

The fallen knew that, if the man facing him was a heavenly dragon, a fight could only end in disaster. But, then again, Ddraig wouldn't want to draw too much attention for fear of repeating his punishment from the Great War. "I made a mistake, it happens. I came here today to seal the book away and keep it hidden so no one would ever find it. It was a poor decision to hide it in plain sight."

Ddraig sighed, realizing how tense he had gotten. "I don't forgive easily, just ask Albion, but I do believe that you had no attention of bringing Issei harm."

"Speaking of, where is he? I've never seen you so worried over a human." While Ddraig may exhibit some concern over his host, it was because he was somewhat forced to (sealed away and all), and he never got this emotional.

That quickly brought a chuckle from the dragon. "Who said he was human?" Azazel had given up on being surprised by now, his interest only growing instead. "This is a long story, and it begins when Issei and I arrived in a world known as Earthland."

.

At some point, the two had devolved into drinking liquor. Azazel fetched some glasses and a large bottle when he heard that Ddraig had never drank alcohol before. And now, the two were having a blast while Issei was nowhere to be seen. When Ddraig told him how he was released from the sacred gear, Azazel intensely probed to find out exactly what happened. According to Acnologia, dragonslayer magic could wipe out all previous magics, but it was a little known fact that sacred gears were bound to the soul. Azazel suspected that becoming a chaos dragonslayer had purged Issei's soul completely, changing him irreversibly and forcibly removing the Boosted Gear. But that was only part of their story.

Azazel, following Ddraig's tale with a glass in hand, interjected, "So wait, you're telling me that this Gildarts nearly destroyed the hospital he was recovering in by accident?"

"He's absentminded," Ddraig reasoned, grinning.

"I'll say!" The fallen took the moment to refill their cups.

"This stuff is great," the Welsh Dragon complimented. "Well, anyways. He led us to a mage that helped us get back, and here we are."

Azazel placed a finger on his chin in thought, twirling the Downfall Dragon Spear. "So, you two have nowhere but this ratty dump to stay and Issei is supposed to go to school?" He summarized.

"To get him to forget about his father." Azazel nodded. Acnologia sounded like quite the scary figure, especially if he truly was above Dragon King level, as Ddraig had said. No wonder Ddraig preferred it that Azazel leave before Issei gets back. If all that the kid remembered about his childhood was that fallen angels killed his parents, meeting one face to face could be a bad idea right now. That was doubly compounded by the nature of Chaos Dragon magic and the fact that Issei was in some kind of funk.

"I can help with that. Of course, you wouldn't have to worry about keeping the book safe."

"How can you help?" Ddraig wondered.

'Typical dragon, not knowing a thing about the human world...' The fallen rolled his eyes. "You don't have any money, and you won't get Issei enrolled anywhere without an ID."

Ddraig was crying comically now. "How could I forget about that!"

Azazel facepalmed at the sight of the perturbed dragon. For some reason, even though he was the fearsome Red Dragon Emperor, Ddraig had some odd mental breakdowns.

"Here, take the book," Ddraig pulled the item from his pocket and shoved it at Azazel, almost knocking over their drinks. "Just don't tell Albion."

"Geeze," the fallen sighed, "what is it with you two?" When Ddraig didn't answer he decided it best not to pursue that route. "I'll get the both of you set up with a nice apartment and everything else you need." Azazel gathered the glasses and the bottle (there was barely any left), and made to leave.

"Wait," the dragon yelled. "Before you go, you said you were working on doing an artificial sacred gear right?"

"Oh, yeah." Azazel sat back down. "I've got Fafnir helping me make this. I call it the Downfall Dragon Spear," he gloated proudly, showing off his creation.

"I've got another request, if it isn't much of a problem." Now that the Governer Gereneral''s interest was peaked, Ddraig reached into his pockets and pulled out a bunch of red and green shards. It looked like they were pieces of metal, Azazel noted. "This is the Boosted Gear."

"What's left of it," Azazel joked. "This isn't useful for creating a different gear without the sealing protocols and your life force."

Ddraig shrugged. "I expected as much. I'm sure that, between your genius and my experience, we could figure it out. I was hoping to give Issei a watered down version as a gift." Issei had always wanted to use the Boosted Gear, and this could give also give Ddraig some peace of might. Though Issei was more than a match for a high-class devil, beings like dragons always attracted the worst type of attention.

"Hmm," Azazel thought aloud. "It could be possible to recreate it, though it won't be nearly as useful as a longinus. Worst case scenario, we can turn it into a twice critical. I'll contact you later with more information, but until then it was good catching up with you, Ddraig. Ciao."

Quickly, without waiting for a response, Azazel had teleported away with a magic circle.

"Well, that was fun," Ddraig decided, feeling a bit woozy. "I wonder what Issei's up to." Whoa, that alcohol was really starting to kick in now. "Screw that, I think I'll take a nap."

.

A large black dragon flew effortlessly high above the clouds, blending into the night sky. Below, millions of lights glimmered and danced, a far more spectacular sight than the average daytime city. Still, Issei couldn't help but feel a small sense of accomplishment. He may not have learned what the fate of his human parents was, but for the moment he didn't care. He was just relieved to have spent the day in Kuoh, a place filled with whole new opportunities. Here, he had a new lease on life, and he sure as hell wasn't going to screw it up.

Kuoh, he discovered, was an unusual place. Earlier that day, while he was walking through town, people stared at him funny and made odd comments about his cloak. Something about him dressing up for an anime convention. It wasn't weird, people wore them all the time in Fiore, so why not here? Also, there was the incident where he went to a restaurant booth and got the best damn food he'd ever had. The problem? He had no way to pay for it, even when he tried forking over all of the Jewels (Fiore's currency) that he kept in his pocket. Thankfully, aside from some yelling and a woman with a threatening-looking spatula, he suffered no magic shocks to his self-worth. He even escaped mostly unharmed!

Okay, so maybe he had no idea how this world worked.

'Shouldn't I be getting back?' He realized, noticing the time. 'Uncle's probably worried,' he sighed, knowing that Ddraig had been way overprotective recently. As he veered right, he smelled something unusual, sinister, almost like a demon.

'That could be any one of the billions of things Ddraig tried to make me learn about,' Issei groaned, trying to tell which it was. 'Yokai, devils, yokai devils, demons... Oh man, I'm going to lose sleep over this unless I check it out.' Whatever it was, surely it would be no match for a chaos dragon. As he angled his wings against the air current to slow down, a thought struck him. 'Oh, right, not supposed to be seen. Ddraig would kill me he hears about someone spotting a 20 meter long dragon.'

Narrowly avoiding a long-winded lecture about how much of an idiot he was, Issei shrunk back to his hybrid form and landed behind a warehouse. 'This is where that strange smell is coming from.'

'Where the hell's the door?' He paced around the side, looking for any form of entrance to the metal-walled warehouse. Eventually, he gave up and just punched his way in, sending metal flying.

The inside was dark, even for his keen, predatory eyesight. Then, he saw a pair of catlike yellow eyes. "Hmm?" A feminine voice hummed, "Who is it that intrudes on my domain?"

'Oh God, what's rotting.' It was like someone left out an entire crate of eggs then threw old beef on it and let it stew. And Issei thought whatever lived here smelled unpleasant.

"Ooh, a dragon. I've always wondered how one might taste." Issei shivered at the sadistic and freaky tone, feeling a bit threatened. This was one creepy woman. And this one was either way arrogant or just plain stupid to openly threaten a dragon like that.

Eventually, he could make out the form of a slim, buxom woman. 'She's naked!' He exclaimed, immediately blushing. Her body had an hourglass figure topped off with spectacular breasts, far better than Issei had seen before. The visage was ruined by the sharp teeth and the face, looking more like something that belonged to a beast than a woman. "What are you! Why does it smell so bad?"

"Didn't you know? I'm a stray devil, honey." Wow, her teeth were sharper than his with that creepy smile. "And that? That's just human blood and flesh. Delicious. I'm sure you'd love a taste, Dragon-kun."

He threw up a little in his mouth. "You mean you... eat people?" He shivered. Gross. "The fuck, lady?" Damn, he had met messed up people in Fiore, though no one was this... awful.

"If you can't appreciate such a delicacy, then you can DIE!" Her face contorted and a magic circle appeared. Before he knew what was happening, she spat some foul-smelling, noxious yellow liquid at him.

'No part of this is something that I want to be involved in!' Issei cried, easily avoiding it. The metal wall behind him sizzled, melting into nothing. 'Eww.' "This is just wrong."

He dodged another stream of... whatever it was... then decided enough was enough. "Alright, lady. You may be super hot and all, minus the face, but you don't deserve to live!"

"Stupid dragon, you'll be my next meal." Possessed by some incredible, unholy rage, she charged at Issei, her hands morphing into enormous claws.

'I doubt that,' he drawled, gathering blue energy in his fist. "Now DIE," the she-beast roared, her claws glowing blood red as she swiped the giant things at the teen.

In a flash of light, Issei pushed off with his feet and wings, flying forward and impaling his fist directly in the stray's chest. "Choas Dragon's Fist!"

One second, his opponent had a shocked look, completely unprepared for the dragon to move so quickly. The next, the stray devil was blasted away by a wave of magic, sending light throughout the whole warehouse. Bloodied and beaten, the beast smashed into the far metal wall, denting it then falling forward. Unable to support herself, she landed flat on her face, her stomach with a large whole through the center.

"Geez..." Issei complained. "Ddraig's going to be sooo mad."

"Please..." The dying devil moaned, reaching a hand up.

"Don't look at me. You're the one who wanted to eat me," the dragon muttered, worried about his uncle. With a sigh, he sat down next to his fallen opponent. It was awkward and crushed his tail, but he was too busy thinking about something. 'At least I didn't flare up that much energy... Maybe he didn't notice.' Whatever, he wasn't going to bother with killing this one. It was probably best that he get back before someone else showed up and chose to investigate.

Issei quickly turned and left the warehouse, preferring to forget about his strange encounter on the flight back.

After the teen left, a red magic circle appeared in the center and two bodies began to take shape. Both were teenage women with large assets and shapely figures. One had crimson hair, the color of blood, that reached midway down her back. Her brilliant blue eyes seemed to scan through the darkness with ease. The second had knee-length dark hair tied back into a ponytail and violet eyes. While the redhead wore a typical Japanese school uniform, the other had the white and red attire of a Miko, a Shinto shrine maiden.

"Ara ara," violet-eyes, Akeno, chuckled, "looks like someone beat us to it Rias."

"It seems so," Rias, the leader, replied. "And by the energy I felt, they were quite strong as well."

"You're interested, aren't you?"

"Absolutely. This territory does belong to my household after all." That is why the two were sent to eliminate a low-class stray devil in the first place.

The two were interrupted by a pained sound coming from the dying stray devil. "Kill... me

"Fufufu," Akeno giggled, "you're a resilient one aren't you?"

Rias faced the stray. "I'll be happy to put you out of your misery if you tell me who did this to you." The stray cursed at her. "Or," she continued, "I could have Akeno interrogate you. She's very into S&M."

"Fine..." The stray relented. "He was... a black dragon..."

"Interesting." She gathered the red and black magic of the Gremory clan's famed power of destruction. "Now, begone," she declared as a huge wave of energy overwhelmed the stray.

There was a short scream followed by silence. The stray devil had been completely erased from existence.

"So," Akeno said, "are we going to look for this black dragon?"

Rias shook her head. It was best not to chase after trouble. "No, It'd be a bad idea to mess with a dragon, doubly so since it is strong enough to remain unseen in the human world. I should warn my brother, and we should keep an eye out."

.

"Partner, you're an idiot." That was all Ddraig had to say after Issei gave his uncle a full recount of the day. At least no one saw him, and at least none of the devils decided to see just who or what killed their stray. One day, though, if the kid kept going on this road, he was going to screw up.

"Hehe," Issei replied sheepishly, rubbing his head. "No more late night flights or fights, got it."

"You'd better. If you get yourself in trouble, I'm not bailing you out." Issei knew that the warning was total bull, but neither felt like pointing it out. "So, I met with a friend last night-"

"Not fair," the teen groaned. "You said to stay hidden."

"You're doing a great job with that," Ddraig pointed out sarcastically. "Anyways, my friend dropped off some things we need. Money, IDs, a couple brochures for schools."

Schools? "Aww man, you're still making me go to school, aren't you?" Issei complained.

"Yes, and I think I found one you might be able to put up with."

"Really?" Wondered the brunette.

"Yep." Ddraig grinned. "Kuoh Academy. It was an all girls school until recently, so you'll be able to meet tons of babes." The teen rolled his eyes at his uncle. "That, and they are one of the top in academics."

Issei sighed. "I can't wait."

.

AN: Yes, this chapter was supposed to be longer. Yes, it is mostly filler. I rewrote the thing 3 times and still didn't like the outcome, so I'm just leaving it here. It may or may not be edited in the future to have more detail.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: I don't know what inspired me to put chapter 4 up so quickly, but here it is.

First, to respond to reviews: Issei will actually consider the positives and negatives of being a devil and will decide according to the plot I have planned and his character. I won't give that away yet. Guest reviewer Shivrah, thank you for your praise! Everyone else, thanks for your support!

Second, I'm trying to keep cliches away from this story. Keep in mind that a cliche is "a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought." If my original thought, perhaps on the pairings or whatever, happens to be something others used too, then it is not necessarily cliche as long as I keep it unique. Besides, as an obvious side note, all fanfiction is in varying degrees 'cliche', since we draw inspiration from the original works.

This chapter... a look into the slight OOCness that Acnologia caused in Issei's character.

.

Chapter 4: All Things Occult

Today was another beautiful day at Kuoh Academy. With sexy students, awesome clubs, and tolerable classes, the school had everything a teenage boy would ever need, and Issei couldn't be happier to be attending. Now a second year, Issei had found in Kuoh Academy the exact distraction he needed. A year ago, he'd never have expected to be so accepting of the human educational system, much less coming back for another year. Then again, looking back, he was kind of a gloomy psycho with a deep, unfounded dislike for those weaker than him.

He'd come to learn that anyone who can sit through hours of boring lessons day after day deserves some menial amount of respect. That respect for humans practically tippled when he, on a whim, joined the kendo club. Filled with girls who could smack him silly with a wooden stick, that club was something else. Sure, it would barely take him any effort to kill them all, but their skill was still remarkable. Murayama and Katase, the co-captains, ran a tight ship and really put tons of effort into each practice, almost the same fervor that Issei had during his dragon-killing days.

Maybe he was on his way to learning to see things from Gildarts' perspective, and maybe Ddraig was right about school taking his mind off of Acnologia. Instead of brooding, Issei no longer worried about what his father was doing. He even made friends which, considering his upbringing, was a complete shock to his uncle. Every now and then, Issei would let Murayama and Katase into his new apartment, and the three would play games and watch movies. As it turns out, Issei had a total obsession with gaming, not that Ddraig would ever complain. Using Azazel's money and influence made it easy to get the kid the latest games, and the kendo club loved it.

He wasn't interested in dating them, no way. Especially not after that incident with Aika Kiryuu, the female counterpart to the lecherous Perverted Duo. He had never had a conversation so full of sexual innuendos in his life. That, and her attention was mostly on his crotch for their entire date. Yep, that is why he was totally cool with staying friends with the kendo girls.

The day everything finally changed started exactly the same. He waved by to Ddraig who was currently passed out on the couch, tossed together some breakfast, gathered his stuff and left. As he entered the school, he noticed the same expressionless face focused on him. Koneko Toujou, a first year, catlike. Hell, she even smelled somewhat like a cat mixed with something Issei couldn't place. The point was, she was a devil, and she noticed something was weird with him, and that day, like every other, she would try to find out why. 'Heh, I learned from the best, sucker,' Issei taunted inwardly.

"Morning, Issei-senpai." This cute little girl, called the 'school mascot' by many, had tomboyish white hair and a short figure.

"Hey, Koneko-chan," the dragon returned with a wave, continuing to class.

Like every other day, he sat through his lessons, bored out of his mind. After that ended, he went to kendo club. It was the middle of the week, so they met for a couple hours. Today, Issei was partnered with one of the newbies, whose ass he promptly kicked. It was all technique, no supernatural strength needed. One day, he was going to find himself a sword, a real sword, like the one Ddraig told him about, Excalibur. That was a lot more efficient than waving around a wooden stick.

After kendo, Issei decided to head directly back to the apartment. As he passed the bridge on the way back, he noticed a schoolgirl with dark black hair and a uniform from one of the neighboring academies. She was a mix between adorable and mature, and her violet eyes avoided him intentionally, though Issei could tell she was interested. Then there was the fact that she smelled a bit like a bird. 'A fallen angel?' He guessed.

"A-ano. Are you Hyoudou Issei-san from Kuoh Academy?" She sounded so innocent, completely unlike a fallen.

"Y-yeah."

"I-I'm Amano Yuuma." She blushed. "I've seen you around. I think you're cute, and your tattoos are cool too." Yeah, the bright blue did bring a lot of attention whenever he wore short sleeves. It was kind of weird, though, that she just approached him now. Issei had been at Kuoh for at least a year and a half now, and people had stopped commenting about how strange he was and just accepted it. He had no idea how, after all this time spent undetected, a fallen angel decided to approach him now.

"Okay?" Just where was this going?

"I-I wanted to know... W-will you go out with me?"

"Ehh!?" Did he hear her right? "I don't know... It's all a little sudden." Besides, Issei wasn't sure dating a fallen angel was the best of ideas. Well, she was cute, so that gave her points, but it wouldn't save him from his uncle. If he accepted her offer, then he'd be stuck in some futile fallen angel ploy for sure. But on the other hand, refusing might be suspicious. There was always the chance that Ddraig's paranoia was rubbing off on him and the girl was legitimately interested because dragons, after all, are said to have quite the effect on the opposite gender.

"Do you not like me Issei-san?" She shuffled nervously, moving close to Issei and pressing her chest against him.

'Not appropriate! Have to decide!' "O-of course not, Yuuma-san!"

In that innocent, virgin tone, she replied, "W-will a kiss change your mind?"

"Uahh!" He gulped. "Nonono, it's alright angel-san. I mean Yuuma-san!" Damn, how could he have slipped up like that! It's just that this girl made him so flustered...

"You know I'm a fallen angel?" She backed off, completely floored, her demeanor now far more composed and mature.

Issei rubbed his head. "I'm not any good at deceiving people. I never really understood the need for all the underhanded stuff, you know?" Dragons were notoriously poor illusionists, and the teen was doubly so. Ddraig was convinced that it was because he didn't have the best social skills, while Issei liked to believe he was too honest for that.

"No, I don't." Yuuma deadpanned. "Well, that complicates things. My name is actually Raynare, and as you so accurately guessed, I'm a fallen angel. So, now that pleasantries are out of the way, how does a weak human like you know about us?"

Issei nearly growled at being so openly insulted at close proximity. 'Calm down. Deep breaths.' "What makes you think I'm weak, Raynare?"

She rolled her eyes as if it was obvious. "Your aura is pathetic. I know you have a sacred gear, your slightly draconic energy tells me that much, but there is no way it's awoken." It seemed she was wrong on both counts, and he had half a mind to beat some sense in her. That, however, was probably a terrible idea, since it would only draw more attention form other fallen angels.

"Fine, I'll answer your question," Issei relented, still on edge. He had much better control than two years ago, but he didn't know how long it would hold before he incinerated her. "My parents were magicians."

"That's news," Raynare hummed, disappointed in her ability to uncover Issei's past. She had managed to learn that he was born with a sacred gear, and she knew it was a powerful one, but she had overlooked something that could have been important. And then there was the fact that she know why she was sent to monitor Issei. "It would be a waste of my time to kill you, and I have other places to be. What do you say we meet up Sunday at three, by the mall?" She gave him a cruel smirk. Maybe she would be able to find out more on Issei and his sacred gear before they met again. That, or he could make use of the boy instead of just killing him.

She still wanted to ask him out? What exactly was her game? Issei couldn't even begin to understand the thoughts flowing through the fallen angel's head. It was about then when he realized that neither had moved an inch, and the fallen's breasts were still stuffed against his chest. "O-okay."

"It's a date then," she smirked, pushing herself off of Issei. Without another word, she turned and walked away, as if suddenly uninterested.

'

Meanwhile, at the old school building of Kuoh Academy, Rias Gremory sat cross legged on a chair, staring intently at a chess board. Her opponent? Akeno Himejima, fellow devil and Rias's queen. The two had been friends a long time, despite the fact that, strictly speaking, Rias was the master and Akeno the servant. Ever since Rias moved her base of operations to Kuoh, her peerage, her group of reincarnated servants, were members of the Occult Research Club. The only other person in the room, Yuuto Kiba, was learning against the wall, watching the game.

A red circle appeared in the center, and out stepped Koneko. "Buchou," she greeted with a nod of her head.

"Koneko, I trust you have news on our kouhai?"

"He met with a fallen angel," she replied plainly, taking a seat on the large couch.

Rias raised an eyebrow. "Did you overhear anything important?"

"No... too far away..." Koneko said. The last thing someone on surveillance wanted was to tip off the person they were tailing. Issei's senses were sharp, almost too sharp, so she had to keep her distance.

"Hmm," the club president thought aloud. "It's likely they think Issei has a sacred gear. My best guess is that she's going to kill him."

"So your intuition was right, then?" Akeno supplied.

That made Rias shake her head. "No, something doesn't add up here, and I don't like it. Koneko has been on edge all year because something about Issei feels dangerous." That alone was cause for concern, since she cared for her servants like family, and any threats had to be dealt with. "If it was just a sacred gear, I should be able to sense it, but I can't. I can tell Issei has some type of power, but that's it." She usually trusted her intuition with these things, but Issei was an enigma the likes of which she'd never seen before.

The queen grinned sadistically. "I would love to interrogate him for you, Buchou."

'Yeah, great idea,' Rias thought sarcastically about her best friend's odd bedroom habits. "I don't want to get in the fallen angels' way. Whether I like it or not, I still have to play politics, and the Gremory heir fighting with the fallen over a human wouldn't make my father happy." There was an opinion she hadn't heard yet, and she couldn't afford not to have the input. "What do you think, Yuuto?" Yuuto Kiba, her knight, had a calm head on his shoulders.

"You could always ask him," offered the knight. Such a straightforward guy, she expected no less from him.

'That's true,' Rias thought, having considered this before. Still, she wasn't one to rush into situations, and they had next to no intel about their fellow student. There was, of course, his uncle, who couldn't appear more normal... despite the obvious, fiery hair color, the man was quite plain. He was a consultant who worked with an antiques firm and a fan of spending the night out, and he had been involved with zero supernatural events, so the chances were slim that he knew. She came to the conclusion that either Issei was amazing at hiding his true identity and Koneko was right to be cautious, or they were all overreacting. Knowing these two options, the redhead heir to the Gremory house decided on the one foolproof plan to figure out the answers.

"Koneko, follow him and keep your distance. When he next encounters that fallen angel, try to listen in. In case they do choose to kill him, my familiar will slip him a flyer." Hopefully, that tied up all the lose ends.

Rias felt a little guilty that she could be responsible for her kouhai's death, yet she knew that in the end things would turn out for the best. After she was unable to find the dragon, she was optimistic that she wouldn't miss out on this opportunity.

"By the way, Akeno. Checkmate."

.

When Issei arrived back at the apartment, he was surprised to see that Ddraig was already there. The past few weeks, his uncle had been busy with work. When he had asked why Ddraig was gone so often, the red dragon only referred to their mysterious source of income and fake identities. Issei knew that the strange dragon knew someone in one of the three fractions with the resources and means to keep them hidden, but he had no idea why. Ddraig insisted that it was better that he was left out of the loop, and the teen had grown to accept that as the way things were. From what he knew, their mysterious benefactor had been an old friend of the heavenly dragon.

"What are you doing here?" Issei asked, flat out.

His uncle faked sadness, then grinned. "I finished the project I was working on. Yes, it has to do with the man who so kindly lent us this house."

"Then I guess you won't tell me," figured the teen.

"Well, not yet. It's a birthday present."

Issei was interested now. Ddraig knew that he thought birthdays were pointless, one of the many lessons learned during his childhood, so it must be quite the unique gift. "What is it?"

"Have you no patience, partner?" His uncle accused, obviously unimpressed.

"No."

The Welsh Dragon raised an eyebrow. One word answers were bad. Issei was the rambling type, not the cold, glaring type. There were very few times these days when the kid acted like this. "Alright, what gives?"

"I've got a date Sunday," Issei sighed, downcast.

Ddraig's mind was boggled. How was the kid upset; dates were one of the best things ever. He'd gone on at least thirty in the past year, all with different human women, and had awesome times. Much better than dealing with female dragons, he liked to think. "You've got a date," he repeated. "Didn't you say the last one with that nice girl... Kiryuu, I think... scarred you for life?"

Issei knew he was screwed one way or the other, so he just let it out. "It's with a fallen angel, Raynare, and she's horrible. She acted all schoolgirly and innocent, then I slipped up and she knew I knew what she was. Then she got all condescending and called me a weak human." Oh man, Ddraig knew that was a huge mistake on her part. "Then she said I wasn't even worth killing! When I see her again, she's so dead."

"So, how'd you mess up? I'd say that it's unlike you, but-"

He was interrupted, "I know, I know. It was hard to think when her boobs were pressed against me." Thoughts of breasts nearly made him stumble, so he changed his focus. "She seemed really nice too..."

"Hah, so you like her?" The Welsh Dragon laughed.

"What! No!" Issei denied. "I mean, she's hot, but I don't like her. She was following me around 'cause she thought I had a sacred gear. Plus, she's not my type."

Ddraig rolled his eyes, knowing that his nephew didn't have a 'type,' even if cruel, mean, and bitchy wasn't it. The last thing he wanted was anyone to remind him of a certain black dragon, especially someone he was dating. "I think you're just being shy." Still, this was a it of a serious situation, not time for jokes. "So, you say she was following you because she suspected you had a sacred gear? I suppose that your magic power does come off in a way similar to how a sacred gear feels."

"But there are tons of humans with sacred gears. Why would a fallen angel bother with following me?"

'That's a good question,' considered Ddraig as he thought up possibilities. There was no way that Azazel put her up to this, was there? If he did, there were definitely no orders to threaten, much less kill the teen. Azazel wasn't stupid enough to send his subordinates to their deaths, but maybe he still wanted to keep an eye on Issei. That would mean he didn't trust Ddraig, despite their year of reconciliation, which was a smart move on his part. Smart, devious, and totally uncalled for, exactly like one would expect from a fallen angel. But he probably shouldn't jump to conclusions and get riled up based on mere suppositions. Dragons were honest, often brutally so, which meant his first course of action would be to just ask the Grigori's leader, though he doubted he'd get a straight answer.

"I don't know, partner. I've got someone I can ask, but in the case that fails, I've got a backup plan."

"Backup plan?"

"Yep. She probably wants to get some more information out of you, and we're going to do the same right back." That was followed by an odd, scheming look. "First, though, I'm going to need to teach you about girls."

Oh great, Issei could tell this was going to be a disaster.

.

Over the next couple days, Issei had noticed that the devils at school were paying extra special attention to him. Of course, he wasn't worried, and Ddraig claimed that it was to be expected with a fallen angel in their territory meeting up with him. The teen knew that Ddraig's optimism at their ability to remain hidden was completely unfounded, and the old dragon was too apprehensive at being found out to accept the obvious. To be plain, Issei was growing annoyed at his uncle's paranoia. If he had that kind of power so that he was even stronger than his father, no one could force him into hiding. He'd be proud and confident, like he was raised to be.

The dominoes were falling, Ddraig's original plan had come up empty, and Issei was on his way to meet the one who knocked over the first one, Raynare. Somehow, he just knew that this Sunday was going to suck.

'Alright, I'm at the dang mall and it's 3:30,' he complained. He should have known that the fallen angel was the exact type to keep him waiting just for her own amusement. 'I wonder if she'll even show.'

Ddraig, using whatever magically contact he had, was unable to find out anything at all about Raynare. According to him, she was supposed to check in on Issei once, simply to make sure that the kid was acting normal. Nothing beyond that. So, in other words, the two had no idea what she was doing following up on Issei, an action probably well above her paygrade.

Just then, he was shocked out of his thoughts by am unfamiliar black-haired girl tripping in front of him, spilling flyers all over the place. "Are you alright!?" He asked, as she shuffled around to pick up all of them. 'Weird, they look like magic circles, and have the words 'I will grant your deepest desire' on them' he thought as he picked up a few, placing them with her pile.

After all of them were picked up, she placed one in his hand and smiled, not saying a word. 'Her teeth are a bit sharp for a human, and something else about her is funny too,' he noticed, but she wasn't a devil or fallen angel. Shrugged, he put the flyer in his pocket as she took off as quickly as she came. Man, he was just the epicenter of weird wasn't he.

Finally, Raynare was here! Her clothes were far more... revealing than the last time the two met two, and she was a couple inches taller, but she couldn't change her scent. Dressed as something between a stripper and a hardcore military chick, she was quite the sight, barely blending in with typical human dress at all. 'Oh man, I forgot to dress up!' Shoot, he was in a blue Portal-themed shirt and black pants, way too lame for a date. Portal was a cool game for sure, though hardly a good theme for dressing fancy.

"You weren't waiting long, were you?" She gave him an insufferable smirk.

"Nope," Issei shot back, "only 30 minutes. Barely even noticed."

"Hahahaha," she chuckled, "it seem's you've got some fire after all. Maybe this date isn't a complete waste of my time."

"It'd better not be a waste of mine," he replied in kind.

.

They were having dinner at Issei's favorite American food joint. It wasn't the fast food kind, more the diner variety, but they served a mean hamburger. As the two occupied a booth right by the window, they stared intently at each other, as if waiting for the other to say something. Eventually, the tension was getting too infuriating for Issei. "So, you follow me around then ask me on a date when you clearly have no interest. Why?"

"Oh, who said I'm not interested?" Raynare giggled in a tone somewhat unlike her. "I haven't been with a man in a long time. Humans just don't do much for me any more, and I guess I intimidate some of the others in my generation."

"Really?" He was kind of unprepared for that answer. It seemed almost... genuine. "I thought you just wanted to learn about my past and my sacred gear."

"Aren't those both things a girl should know about a potential boyfriend?" Damn these rhetorical questions, they were getting old. Clearly, she was teasing him.

"Fine." A trade was in order then. "I'll tell you if you tell me why."

The fallen rolled her eyes, shifting her shirt to expose more cleavage. "Loosen up, will you. We're on a date, Issei-kun, not at a funeral. As for why, I guess you surprised me is all. The son of two magicians, wandering around with a sacred gear and no one to teach him how to use it. I could give you the guidance you need," she proposed suggestively. This woman had no shame, none at all. If Issei wasn't so uptight about this, he'd certainly be enjoying the sight of a beautiful woman very nearly exposing herself in public for him.

"So that's what this is, a job offer?"

"I can offer you a lot more things than just a job," she stated lewdly, caressing his cheek across the table.

His face flushing red, he managed, "T-that's really nice Ray-chan."

"You're quite cute when you get like that," the fallen chuckled, sitting back in her seat. Issei tried to divert his attention, as if refusing to indulge her. "Why don't we start learning about each other? We're on a date after all," she smiled.

The dragon kept silent, his gaze drifting unintentionally towards her skimpy clothes. "You don't trust me, do you?" The fallen was right on the mark with that one. "You're a smart boy Issei-kun."

"Why do you care so much? What's so important about me?"

"Nothing. The higher ups wanted me to observe you for one day and see if you get into trouble because I heard rumors the leader is interested in your sacred gear. Ah, but that isn't what I'm doing, is it Issei-kun? I think they're downsizing your potential. Working for me? I could give you anything you'd want, even me." She gestured to herself. She grinned. "I guess you could say that you've made me very curious, magic boy."

"Heh, doesn't take much to get you curious, does it?" He observed.

"Hah!" She laughed. "I guess I don't like things I can't understand. Fatal flaw," she joked. Really, though, Issei knew she thought she was near flawless, and she was far too prideful for the power she held.

"I'm fine not knowing things," Issei replied. "Magic and all of that... It's so freaking cool but it makes no sense." Why was he actually conversing with her like this? Sure, Ddraig did tell him that the best way to get info was to give some (making sure yours was less useful), but he was actually telling her things he'd never told anyone save Ddraig and Gildarts...

"Really? I suppose that's for the best. There's stuff out there that humans'd never be able to make sense of." She wasn't even going to bother explaining what a sacred gear was. In fact, she assumed that Issei already had a good idea of their history for some reason. "Your parents were magicians, learn any magic?"

"Both died when I was five," Issei stated. He didn't feel anything about it, and Raynare knew it. "So, no. My uncle's normal and never knew them." Half truths, the best way to lie. He had to thank Ddraig for putting the words in his mouth, since he was awful with deception.

"Such a shame. Mine died as well. It's sad that the numbers of the three factions dwindled so much from the war. Thankfully, the new generation is said to have such promise, and I'm the strongest of them."

Man, she couldn't resist gloating, could she? "So you think you're strong, huh?"

"I can easily dispatch a mid-class devil."

Issei huffed internally. 'Yeah, well I bet I could go toe-to-toe with one of your leaders.' Though that made him happy, that he was much stronger, he was nowhere near his goal of taking down a Dragon King. That he hadn't trained much in the last year wasn't helping his confidence in this moment. "That's impressive," he lied through his teeth.

"You think so?" Raynare smiled, placing a hand on his. Issei almost blushed at the gesture of affection, instead settling on a similar smile.

"Yeah. Most humans couldn't contend with a fallen angel like you." That was a sort of passive-aggressive compliment between Issei's own parents' demise and his genuine approval of her relative strength compared with her fellow fallen. At least he wasn't talking with the runt of the group, even if the strongest was still an ant compared to his own power.

"You're sweet, you know that, Issei-kun. Tell you what, next date, I'll show you to a couple of Grigori's magicians as a thank you." Issei almost didn't catch the clever reintroduction of her offer.

"Next date?"

"Oh yes, I'm having fun. Aren't you?"

"Well, I guess it's okay." Better than his last one with Kiryuu at least.

"You need seriously need to let go. Life's better when you show your wild side."

"Wild side?"

Raynare grinned. "Tell me Issei. Have you ever gone to a club before?"

.

Issei had no idea when, throughout the entire crazy-ass date, that he began to see Raynare as more than a total bitch. She was smart, cunning, and resourcefull, even though her arrogance, disrespect, and poor sensing ability were kind of a letdown. Maybe she'd have been nicer if he told her what he was, he wondered a couple times, nearly spilling the beans. Then he remembered Ddraig telling him that that was exactly what she desired, Issei's deepest secrets, and the last thing the brunette wanted to do was drag his uncle into this. That meant enduring the date, even though it didn't turn out as bad as he thought it would.

Raynare even took him to a club! It was a little unusual, being around six in the afternoon and all and that he was only 17, but he had a surprisingly good time. Despite the fact that he wasn't the type of person to go to clubs, he recognized the ability to drown away woes and worries with loud music and inappropriate dancing. At one point, she insisted they have sex, but that crossed the line. No way in hell would Issei screw someone who is as big of an asshole as her. And then there was the whole complicated emotions bit that certainly didn't help.

Now, the two were finishing their date, walking hand in hand through the park. "See, Issei-kun, this date wasn't so bad after all."

"Heh, I guess." He wasn't sure how to respond to the comment.

"Look," Raynare sighed. "I don't know what fucked you over in the past to make you so... closed off, and I don't care." This was reassuring and positive advice already. Not. "I was an angel. I fell 'cause I like to have fun every now and then, and now you know that the rest of my faction and I aren't as horrible as you thought."

Wow, she was good at reading him. How in the name of God did she know that he disliked fallen angels for what happened in his past? Was she guessing at that, or was he reading too far into her comment? "I suppose the club was alright." He'd never seen so many beautiful women in one place, not even at his mostly-girls school.

"Alright?" She almost laughed. "You know you had a good time, Issei-kun. The offer still stands. You could join the Grigori. Now, you may be a weak, naive human, but I'm sure we could find a way to make you at least competent."

To be honest, the proposition was a bit more tempting now that he'd learned about her. The manipulative party girl, kicked out of heaven, trying to make name for himself was certainly far more three dimensional than the asshole she first painted herself to be. However, he still had his obligations to Ddraig, and he wasn't about to join one of the factions. If he did, there was no way that people wouldn't discover that a heavenly dragon, a being that once had the capability to destroy the world, had been unsealed. Yeah, that would be bad.

"I'm sorry, Ray-chan." He had no idea why he bothered with the nickname. 'Do I really like her?' He wondered vaguely, not understanding a bit of it. "I can't."

That made her surprisingly upset. "You're sure?"

"Yeah. I'd rather keep to myself."

"Urgh," she groaned, taking her hand away from his and stepping in front to face him. She was standing in a few feet in front, a fountain right behind her. "Why couldn't you have just accepted? I wasn't lying when I said I was starting to like you, Issei. You were a nice challenge for a girl like me," she smirked, removing the affectionate tone almost completely. Almost.

"Ehh!?" He exclaimed, confused. "A challenge?"

She ran a hand across his cheek again. "Oh, Issei. You were so... childish at times, but you never opened up completely. I wanted to pry every little thing out of that little head of yours and use it to get you to work for me, but you insist on being so damn determined."

So, this was how it ended? Exactly as Ddraig said it would, and he'd stupidly thought that she actually had grown to like him in that twisted way of hers. Even after admitting that she was trying to trick him, he fell for the same gag a second time? _'You're pathetic.'_ He could imagine his father's taunts at his situation. _'You call yourself my son?'_

"Shut up... shut up..." Issei muttered.

"Such a foolish human, ordering me around?' Raynare cackled. "I think it's time you learned not to look a gift horse in the mouth!" She stepped back, feathery black wings spreading out from behind her as she took to the skies, hovering a few feet in the air. 'They are like _his_ wings...' He noticed. _'_ So weak... to imitate a king of dragons so poorly.'

A spear of bright, radiating light, far too holy for the hands of such a demon, formed in front of her. "Sadly, the joke is over. It's time for you to die."

She threw it.

Issei barely registered the pain as it collided with his stomach, burning a large hole in his shirt. "You didn't even react," Raynare gloated.

"Pathetic," Issei murmured, gazing downwards at where the spear hit him as it faded into nothing.

"W-what!" The fallen exclaimed, sure had easily one-shotted him. "You can still stand?'

"I was pathetic..." He gazed up at her, his normally hazel eyes contracted into thin slits. "To believe you actually cared..." His stomach, she realized, it was completely unharmed! There was a red mark, a small sign that he had actually been hit by the attack, but there was no way a human could resist this so effortlessly! The light spear should have been buried through his body.

A dark, navy-colored aura started leaking out, casting a sinister feeling around the surroundings. "I don't know why I'm so weak. Human, hah. Why did I even pretend to be one?"

Right then, Raynare knew that she was in deep shit. This aura that he was radiating was incredible, far stronger than she could ever hope to match. And she had insulted him, taunted him, manipulated him.

"Weak," he commented taking a step forward. Raynare, instinctively, moved back in sync. He shouldn't do this, he still had control. "Still... I'm... I'm not a killer." The aura and killing intent in the air certainly said otherwise, but she wasn't going to argue.

 _"What are you doing!"_ What was this, a memory? _Issei_ _was twelve, and it was the first time had ever fought a dragon without his father's help. The victim was a particularly weak one, one that even a young Issei was able to overpower with Chaos Dragon Magic and liberal use of an advanced form of dragonforce._

 _An earth dragon, name unimportant to him, lay dying, her normally rock-hard scales shattered into bits and leaking blood. "What are you doing!" His father shouted, watching Issei stare at his opponent. Was it admiration? Trepidation?_

 _Acnologia glared at him, anger seeping through. "Is this not what you wanted? Power? It called you weak, undermined your existence. Why do you wait to eliminate such an unworthy adversary, one who does not deserve to live!"_

 _"Eliminate her?" Yes, he could do that. She was weaker than him, right, and only the strong deserved to live. That was why his father taught him to ignore the existence of humans because they were a disgrace to his philosophy._

 _"You are my son, Issei Hyoudou!" The dragon roared, his mere voice tearing up the very ground, dust and earth flying everywhere. "You should learn to act like it!"_

 _And so the first of many died._

'Act like it? Like his son...' Issei considered, taking another step. 'I'm not him...' It wasn't convincing. Finding reasons to spare the fallen he had actually considered on taking for a second date was becoming harder by the second. Be a better man than your father, Ddraig had once told him, but he didn't know if he could do that. He had to make his decision now, and he did. "Leave, now. Or I will kill you."

The fallen angel did not need to be told twice, taking off with unimaginable speed, as if the terror of God himself was right on her heels. Black feathers fell from the sky as the fleeing girl vanished from sight.

Issei took a breath. 'Calm down. She's gone. You're not weak.' He repeated the simple sentences, trying to beat the mantra into his thick skull. 'I'm nothing like him,' he assured himself. He admired the dragon, and he tried to tell himself that was wrong. Someone stronger, more confident, wouldn't have indulged her from the start. Hell, they wouldn't be blending in like a coward.

"I'm not a coward!" He bit out. Chaos Dragon magic had an unfortunate side effect on the user's psyche, one that Issei was aware of but didn't care about at the moment. All he could feel was his rage building.

Coward, such a distasteful word. Its context referred to something without the gall to stand up for itself, and Issei never wanted to think of himself as that kind of coward! Speaking of the word, there was an unlucky cat snooping from behind the bushes. She was a coward, just like him. "Come on out, Koneko-chan! You happy, now, huh?" He had caught her tail only thirty minutes back, though he suspected she'd been following for much longer.

Said devil stepped out from behind the bushes, betraying a look of slight concern. This was not the Issei she knew, even if the two barely had much contact in the past. There was no way this was the gentle, awkward, kindhearted yet mysterious member of the kendo club she'd been observing for the past couple weeks. She knew he didn't mean to be harsh.

After what happened with Raynare, he felt betrayed, violent, and the last thing he wanted to do was take it out on a nice kouhai, even if she was a devil.

But before he stalked home to Ddraig, he had one more thing to say. "Tell Rias Gremory I'm done hiding."

.

"You alright, partner?" Issei had barged into the house, magic power still leaking off his body like wispy steam, glaring at the wall. Obviously, something was wrong.

In a detached tone, he answered, "I'm fine, Ddraig."

"Bad date, huh?" The red dragon figured, taking a seat on the couch.

"She was so weak, so pathetic," he muttered, sitting next to his uncle. "Sometimes, I think Dad was right."

This was taking a turn for the worse. Never in the past year had Issei called his father 'Dad', preferring to reference him indirectly or dance around the topic. While he may be pretty bad at counseling, Ddraig thought of himself as the only being in two worlds who could tell what exactly was on the kid's mind. Well, asides from when women were involved; he was an open book then. "Right about what?" He ventured.

"Power. I gain nothing from hiding. She thought herself above me. Me, the son of Acnologia!" Oh man, Issei was definitely on track to landing himself in the deep end. He sounded upset, likely angry at himself for being unable to decide whether to follow his father's teachings or uncle's advice. Acnologia had the devastating effect of making Issei detest his own weakness. "She toyed with me Ddraig, and when I refused to join her useless organization, she tried to kill me."

"You didn't kill her did you?" Ddraig wasn't too concerned about the ramifications of actually killing the woman, he just preferred it if Issei tried to stay calm and value others lives more.

Issei bared his teeth in a very inhuman gesture. "I'm not my father." Maybe it wasn't all bad after all. "I'm weak... I didn't have it in me."

"Trust me," the Welsh Dragon smirked lightly, "you've got in in you, partner." He'd seen it plenty of times, enough that it unnerved him. "But you're right, you aren't Acnologia. You're better."

"So why don't I feel better?" Losing control and nearly obliterating some girl because she tricked him? Wasn't too much of an overreaction when he was in no real danger the whole time? Acnologia would tell him that she wasn't even worth acknowledging in the first place, and if he was betrayed by her then he should kill her, no questions asked.

"No matter what magic you use, you aren't going to become a psycho, so calm down and breathe, partner." He got the feeling that Issei wasn't too comforted by the advice.

"I'd rather go crazy than keep sitting on my ass like this! It's making me go senile, like you."

'Nice, really nice partner,' Ddraig sighed. He knew the teen didn't mean it and was just being rash, but still. Issei hated that one of the two heavenly dragons was content with living a boring life when, for millenia prior, he had been at the forefront of every adventure. Without the continual fight with Albion and the struggles of helping the host of the Boosted Gear, Ddraig had no goals for himself. The reason he didn't want to be resealed, and thus kept them hidden, was supposedly for his nephew, but Issei had trouble believing that. "I've fought plenty and terrorized enough, but you're a thousand years too young to know if I'm senile or not."

Issei scoffed. "I'm almost an adult."

"No, you're 17. You're still a whelp in dragon terms partner, whether you like it or not. Maybe I am being too paranoid though. I'll tell you what, you can do whatever you want now, but don't expect me to bail you out." Issei was strong enough to take care of himself, true, and he wasn't so powerful that he was a threat to the world. Perhaps it was time to treat the kid like all of the other hosts of the Boosted Gear and not solely as his nephew.

"Really?" He seemed hopeful now, a good leap from just a few seconds ago. "You'll finally stop it with the 'factions are out to get us' talks?"

"Yeah. Go show those devils at school what it means to be the son of a dragon king." Though Issei wasn't sure how he really felt about Acnologia, he was still proud to be his son. A bit confusing, but Issei loved that he would inherit such an esteemed mantle.

And Rias Gremory was about to learn just what that meant.

.

School, unsurprisingly, seemed kind of lame after Sunday's events. Issei had put up with Raynare, gone to a night club, and nearly went insane, and he was expected to pay attention in math class? Well, that didn't happen at all. Murayama, during lunch, pointed out that he seemed a bit off, and she was absolutely right. His response was simply that his date sucked, though the kendo captain wasn't convinced. Issei was usually pretty upbeat, so she knew it was far worse than he was letting on, but she knew better than to pry into her friend's life. Ever since she first saw him, he'd been a mystery.

Even after calming down and realizing how worked up he'd gotten, the thoughts still lingered in his head. 'Am I really strong enough? Was my father right about some of this?'

Instead of taking notes, he was busy gazing out of the window. In more than a simple daydream, he was lamenting the fact that he hadn't gone flying at all in the past year. It never really bothered him till now how accepting he was of blending in. The clouds, the sky, the wind, all were things that he felt like he could hardly remember. How was Ddraig okay with this?

"Hey, everyone" A calm, polite male voice interrupted his thoughts. Only one person sounded that princely, the so-called Prince of Kuoh, Yuuto Kiba, a devil. Issei turned to see the handsome young blond standing with a kind smile. It seemed he had interrupted class, and the girls were all too happy that he chose to visit.

'Man, he gets all the cute girls, doesn't he?' Issei moaned. 'And probably less crazy ones too.' Though, if he knew anything about Yuuto's fangirls, some might be just as insane as Raynare. When he noticed that the prince was walking across the room, a thought struck. 'Wait, he's not the one they sent to get me, is he?'

"Hyoudou Issei-san?" The blond addressed respectfully.

"Issei and Kiba-kun as a couple?" Katase murmured to Murayama, "that's so adorable."

"I'd ship that," Murayama replied back, unknowing that Issei's enhanced hearing easily caught it. The two dissolved into comments and giggles, and the dragon rolled his eyes. They may have been his friends, but they were plenty weird.

Oh, wait, had Yuuto said something? "I said, Rias Gremory asked me to fetch you."

"Well, who am I to deny such a hot girl?" Issei grinned. "Lead the way, pretty boy."

.

The old school building didn't look that old at all. In fact, it was equally as nice as the normal campus, just a whole lot more antique-styled, perfect for all things occult. For some reason, the image of devils in a modern business meeting room made Issei smirk. The Occult Research Club room itself had candles, old-style lamps, and Victorian couches, all throwing the 'occult' theme in your face. What was unusual, though, was the shower built into the side of the room. And someone was currently in it!

"So, this is the Occult Research Club, Hyoudou-san," Kiba introduced.

"Hey Koneko-chan," greeted Issei. "Sorry 'bout last night."

The adorable mascot remained emotionless. "...accepted. You were within reason to be upset."

Wait, so who else was in Rias's peerage, Issei wondered. He could smell a bunch of devils at the school, but he only bothered with figuring out who Koneko's master was, since she had spent a while following him. Obviously, Yuuto was a member, but who else?

But, there was one thing to get off his chest first. "What is Rias doing _naked_ in the shower?" Naked! He could see her silhouette through the curtain, and he couldn't stop himself from staring at his senpai's bust. 'H-how is her figure so perfect!?' For a moment, he sympathized with the infamous Perverted Duo, but just for a moment.

"Ara ara, sneaking a peak are we?" That was Akeno Himejima. She had luscious black hair that reached down past her knees, striking violet eyes sort of like Raynare's, and probably the biggest rack Issei'd ever seen. As a teenager, he had trouble taking his eyes off of her well-proportioned features.

After noticing that he'd been staring, he blushed. "N-not at all! But, in my defense, there's a shower in your clubhouse."

"True... but you're still being a pervert." Issei nearly face faulted. 'Oh Koneko-chan, you wound me.'

"So," Akeno said, "you must be Hyoudou Issei. I'm Himejima Akeno, Rias's queen and vice president of the Occult Research Club. If you need anything, just ask, everyone here is very nice." Man, she had such a suggestive tone.

"I'll keep that in mind."

She winked. "Mmm, I hope so."

"I apologize for the wait." It seemed that the Rais Gremory, the king herself, was done with her shower. Rias had stepped out dressed in her Kuoh uniform, which did little to hide her natural curves. There was a reason she was considered the most beautiful girl in Kuoh, and it wasn't just the foreign look and the silky red hair. "I know it's terribly rude, but I thought it better if I washed up for our guest." That was unusual, but welcome.

"Nonono, it's great! I mean fine." Damnit hormones, they always won in these instances.

Rias laughed. "You're quite the interesting one, Hyoudou Issei-kun. Can I call you Ise-kun?"

A nickname already? They didn't even know each other well. "I-I don't see why not."

"Perfect," she smiled. "Everyone here is a devil in the service of the house of Gremory, though I prefer to call them my family. Yuuto is my night, Koneko is my rook, and Akeno is my queen and long time best friend." It seemed that they got along well.

"I guess you already know me," Issei replied sheepishly.

"You did cause quite the stir yesterday," Rias affirmed with a smile, taking a seat on the couch. "Koneko heard your claim that you're not human. To be able to stay undetected for two whole years is no small feat. Koneko's one of the best sensors I know, and she was barely able to pick up on you." Her voice lost a little of the light tone, if just for a moment. "You must be skilled, to hide all that energy."

"Hehe. I suppose I'm good at staying under the radar." He was a little embarrassed at the praise to be honest, though mostly because it was coming from a beautiful woman. "It has to do with my markings on my body and some tricks taught by my two mentors." When an Earthland dragon used a human form, they kept a distinctive characteristic or pattern that transferred over, hence the markings on his arms. They were the sign of a dragonslayer whose magic had changed their body completely, but it still allowed them to flawlessly remain human, though the marks would never go away. They were a sign of who he was.

"Interesting. They always did grab my attention," the king commented. "What exactly happened with the fallen angel, if you don't mind me asking."

If there was any time to get the truth off his chest it was now. Now more hiding, he had said, and he wasn't about to continually try to lie. That was not what a dragon should do. "Ray-chan thought I had a sacred gear, so she took me on a date to get close, and she was kind of pushy to get me to join the Grigori organization."

"I suspected as much," Rias hummed in thought. "I take it you refused."

"She didn't like that much," Issei joked.

Rias smiled too. "I don't imagine she would have. So, after all that, do you know why you're here?"

Well, there couldn't be too many options here. "Don't you want me to leave your territory?" That was an important thing, right? Both dragons that raised him had told him such.

The Gremory chuckled. "No, no, nothing like that. I just have a question to ask you."

'She probably wants to know what I am or if I'll join her peerage.' Devils, even ones as nice as the Gremory clan, were still selfish by nature. He had expected that coming in. "What is it?"

"Are you okay?"

Did he hear her right? "Huh?"

"Are you okay?" She repeated. "I can't in good conscious ignore the troubles of someone Koneko befriended. If she's concerned, then I am too. Last night, the aura you leaked out was powerful and dangerous, and she claimed it was quite unlike you."

How... noble of her. Maybe the Gremory clan was a whole other breed of devils, one who truly cared for their servants. It seemed Rias was incredibly serious about this too. That kindness definitely deserved an answer, even if he'd struggle with telling the full story. "I guess... my father was tough, and whenever I use my magic, I'm reminded of him..." It was the first time he'd ever told anyone besides Ddraig and Gildarts of his problems with Acnologia, and it was great to get even this small tidbit off his chest.

"So, your father was like that. I've seen my share of unsolved family problems..." Rias muttered, a hollow look in her water-blue eyes making Issei wonder just what she was referring to.

"...it is in the past..." Koneko interjected.

"Yes," the red haired king agreed. "it's best if we move on for now."

Okay, so if Rias wasn't going to address the elephant in the room, it seemed he had to. "Don't you want to know who I am and what I'm doing here?"

"Of course I do," Rias replied easily. "I've never seen anyone like you before, Ise-kun. Tell us whatever you want to, I won't pressure you."

"I don't get it..." he said. Why was the redhead being so casual about this? And yet, for some reason, he felt as if he wanted to keep telling her what was plaguing him, and there was no deceit or underhanded magic involved. "Still, I made a big deal about not hiding any more, so I'll give you some answers. I don't have a sacred gear at all, the reason I have that feeling is 'cause I'm actually a dragon." He changed his hand and forearm to make them look dragon-like with the smooth black scales, blue markings, and deadly claws. The devils also noticed his magic power increase enough to be easily felt and recognized. He waved his hand made it human again, his energy going back to normal levels.

"Ara ara," Akeno interrupted, "a dragon that can change shape?" Issei must have been quite strong to have that kind of magic. Most dragons, at least the ones Rias knew from the familiar forest, weren't intelligent. And the powerful ones that were sentient were completely incapable of even the simplest of non-dragon magic. All except Tiamat, at least, and she was rumored to be the strongest of the Dragon Kings, so where did that leave Issei?

"Wait!" Rias realized. "It was you two years ago that took care of that stray, wasn't it? That would explain how a dragon would have seemingly disappeared, though I never would have guessed he became a cute little kouhai at this school." Issei felt his cheeks heat up. She didn't hold back any affection at all, not even to a mostly-stranger.

"I remember that stray devil. She was freaky, even worse than my date yesterday." He shuddered at the memory. "So, yeah, my uncle insisted I go to a human school because he's completely insane and overprotective. Dragons weren't made to sneak around, you know."

"Yes, your race tends to be the straightforward type," she observed, having met a couple devil-dragons in her time. There were very few of those, the most known one Tannin, a former Dragon King. "Dating a fallen angel must have really been tough on you, wasn't it? I do admire your commitment to try to live a normal life, even with the Grigori breathing down your back."

"Uh, thanks, I guess. You're not the kind of devil I expected."

She nodded, able to understand exactly what he meant. "We Gremorys care for our family, an unusual belief that is looked down upon by some other devils. I also care for the students at this school, whatever or whoever they may be."

"That sounds nice..." Issei complimented, reminded of his childhood. "My father, the one who taught me what it meant to be a dragon, told me misplaced affection made people weak."

"You don't sound like you believe him."

"I don't know..." Issei replied. "Gildarts told me it made people stronger than ever when they had loved ones to protect. You seem like you'd do anything for them."

"I will," Rias replied seriously, before her features softened again. Oddly, she didn't pursue Issei about this Gildarts person. "Speaking of family. Is your uncle a dragon too?"

Oh no, he couldn't tell her the truth here. Ddraig may have given him free reign, bu Issei doubted he also permission for his identity to be revealed. Then again, Rias had surprised him at all corners with how honest she was for a devil. Maybe there was some small exaggerations and clever manipulation of their chat, but it was leaps and bounds better than Raynare. He didn't even trust his two closest friends with the truth about himself. Rias though, she was everything those two were and more. Confident, compassionate, smart... why shouldn't he trust her?

"He's the toughest dragon I know." He grinned proudly at that, glad to have such an uncle.

Rias saw the admiration in her kouhai's expression. "I'd love to meet him one day. Issei, I'd like to extend to you an offer."

He was a little apprehensive. If she brought him into the same rage he'd had the last night... he'd hate it if anything happened to such a nice, beautiful woman. "Even after you saw what happened to the last one who said that?"

"Heh, I suppose I am a little reckless. But you wouldn't harm me, would you, Ise-kun?" She crossed her legs. "Besides, I wasn't going to try to make you a devil. That's your decision, and I'm sure you'd tell me if you wanted that." Dragons were decisive and sometimes a bit brash about their desires, and Rias saw no reason that Issei, even if was a little awkward, would be much different. "The offer is for you to join the Occult Research Club. You may not be a member of my peerage, but you could be around others that you can relate to, and I'd consider you the closest thing to family. Devil work might even be fun, you'll see."

"I'm already in the Kendo Club," Issei pointed out.

Rias rolled her eyes good naturedly at the unimaginative response. "This club's more of a front. It would rarely detract much time from kendo. It is strange, I've never met a dragon who uses a sword."

"I don't," he said, "use a sword, I mean. Heh, Uncle thought it was weird too, saying my claws were plenty sharp... I like it though. I'd never had to learn skill and not strength before." Issei realized he wasn't addressing the more important issue at hand, the hanging question that Rias had asked. "Oh, right, sorry. I'd like to join your club. Sounds fun. Think I could get any good fights in?"

"Later I'll get Yuuto to help with your kendo. He's a talented swordsman, you know, and I'm sure it would be fun to watch you in action."

"So, what's next?"

Akeno put a hand to her mouth and chuckled at the dragon's impatience. Rias was the one to reply, though, being the leader and all. "You should probably be leaving, unless you want to miss practice."

"...you're late..." Koneko elaborated.

"I am? I could have sworn it was an hour from now!" Issei panicked, flailing around for a couple seconds. "Oh man, I've gotta go. See ya!" He got up and began running for the door.

"Meet us here tomorrow after your club!" Rias called after him, amused by his antics.

As the Occult Research Club processed what just happened, Rias thought over their newest member. Obviously, she wanted him as a servant, since a powerful dragon in her peerage would be the talk of the underworld. Maybe then she could stand a chance against _him_ ,and maybe Issei would one day be as famous as Tannin. Though, she would only reincarnate him if that's what he wanted. She wasn't a slaver, since she cared far more about saving worthy lives than taking them. "I can't wait to see where this goes," she commented.

"Fufufu," Akeno giggled, "you and me both."

.

AN: This chapter was a mess to right. Between recovery and my own dwindling free time (school, yay), this was a pain. I also had the Rias scene written perfectly, accidentally deleted it, and was forced to rewrite. I don't like the rewritten version here as much as my original, but it'll have to do.

Thanks for reading this especially long chapter! I'm quite happy with the response to the story so far!

Also, don't be afraid to shout your opinion.

Asia, one of the most adorable characters of this series, is up next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Issei isn't going to become a devil, or chose either way, in this arc. At the moment, it doesn't fit with what I've written last chapter, but that's subject to change later.

I know his name is Yuuto, surname Kiba, but the LN still calls him Kiba! Anyone got any advice on which name to use?

So there was a server failure or whatever, and since I keep my stories directly on this site, I wasn't able to work on anything. This update had a bit long of a wait.

Here's chapter 5. It's kind of a filler.

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Chapter 5: Dragon of the Old School Building

Following Issei's recount of his date with Raynare, Ddraig was almost furious. Azazel had let something like this happen? The Welsh Dragon knew that the fallen angel leader was lax but leaving subordinates with the initiative to attack Issei was a clear violation of their agreement. When the two first met a year ago, Ddraig had consented to giving over the book and becoming the man's drinking buddy as long as they were kept relatively hidden. He doubted Azazel had sent Raynare for anything more than to monitor Issei, as any responsible faction leader would do, though he should have had more control over her actions.

Now, he was meeting with the Governor General himself, having stormed through the office building the Grigori was stationed in. Though it seemed rash, Ddraig knew that no one there would never identify him as a heavenly dragon while they may know he was not what he seemed to be.

"Sir!" A woman, a mid-class fallen angel, exclaimed, standing in front of him. "You have to make an appointment first!"

The dragon shoved her aside effortlessly, tossing her into the opposite wall. "He _will_ see me." He was more irritated than angry, but he was tired of Issei drawing the short straw every time, and it was time to fix it. That said, she opened the door to Azazel's room, barely managing keep his energy signature normal.

The fallen angel himself was sitting at his desk, legs propped up in a bored fashion, but he wasn't the only one there. In the corner, a silver haired teen stood with his arms crossed as if uninterested. His icy blue eyes were slightly cracked open, almost like he was deciding if the intruder was worth his time looking at. He wore a black leather jacket, a green tee shirt, and jeans, an outfit somewhat similar to what Ddraig often wore. Though, the appearance wasn't what drew Ddraig's attention to the boy. It was his sacred gear.

'So, this is the boy who hosts Albion?' He pondered, impressed. 'He seems quite strong for his age, though I'm sure he'd be no match for my partner.' Call it his pride talking, but Ddraig knew that for a fact. Still, even Albion couldn't detect who he was as long as he remained collected, calm, and careful. Now wasn't the time to reveal himself to his rival. Not that he'd ever find a 'right time,' he was just certain that it wasn't then.

Azazel sighed. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Red?" Yeah, Red Hyoudou was his fake name for the human world. Kind of lame, but better than Welsh or something obvious. In all fairness, it was Azazel not him who picked it. "I don't suppose you came here for a drink."

"No, I didn't," he replied evenly, his expression betraying the tone.

"Vali, you can leave us alone." Azazel instructed

"Fine," the teen replied, his voice indifferent. Instead of walking out like any normal person, he decided to use a magic transport circle for whatever reason. As soon as the blue-white color of his magic faded, the two powerful titans were left staring each other down. Azazel didn't even make a move to grab his sacred gear, seeming perfectly composed.

The first to break the tension was Ddraig. "So that's Vali," he commented. "He's much stronger than most of his hosts."

Azazel chuckled. "I raised him myself, what did you expect? Though, I have yet to tell him that the one he'll be fighting is the true Red Dragon Emperor."

If this conversation happened another time, the dragon might have grinned. "I am not the one he will fight."

"Fair enough. Now that formalities are over," Azazel began, taking his feet off the desk, "tell me what you came here for."

Wait, he had no idea what his underling had done? "You know what happened with Raynare?"

"No, I don't," the fallen replied, "but I'm guessing you don't like that I asked her to follow Issei. You of all people would understand why I prefer to keep an eye on people." The two generally had a good understanding. Both enjoyed a good night out, were popular with the ladies, and held enormous power. Azazel, though, loved his games. That led to him being someone who liked knowing everything that was going on, even when that concerned something like Ddraig nephew.

"She was just supposed to follow him..." Ddraig stated. "Well, she did a lot more than that. She broke his confidence and nearly made him lose control."

"You mean she acted without my explicit orders and tried to kill him?" At Ddraig's surprised look, he shrugged. "Raynare's been acting out recently, on the hunt for praise, admiration, power, who knows. The point is, I gave her this simple task for a second chance and to remind her that I trust her. I guess that trust was violated."

"You guess?" The red dragon almost growled. "My nephew almost destroyed half of Kuoh!"

Azazel seemed far too impartial with this. "Almost. I'm sure he gave Raynare what she deserved. She should know better than to conspire without knowing all the details."

"You're lucky he didn't. He could have reverted to how he was with Acnologia." Azazel was the only one who knew just what that meant. If Issei considered power as sacred as his father and he chose to hunt for more, a dragon of his potential could become one of the strongest beings in the world. Not only that, he would obliterate those who challenged him or threatened his omnipotence. And Azazel was fully aware that Ddraig would help his nephew, even if he would rather not. When it came down to it, the two were family, and family stuck together no matter how Issei acted. Issei could probably become an Evil Dragon, one who has completely lost themselves, and his uncle would still refuse to abandon him.

"With that viewpoint, there's no way you should have let him out into the world. Cut him some slack and let him learn on his own. God knows the kid needs it." The fallen angel was definitely too lax about this, but that's what one can expect from someone who wasn't a fan of structuring life. There was also the fact that he was an angel who fell because of his inability to follow rules, though that's a whole different point.

"He's seventeen!" Ddraig argued. He hadn't lived on his own himself until well past fifty.

That was met with an eye roll. "Exactly. Time for him to figure out that not everything's sunshine and rainbows and there are people out there who have less than honest intentions." Less than honest... that was a way of sugar coating the life of deceit and lies that the underworld's two factions seemed to adore.

"You know nothing of dragons, Azazel."

Before the fallen could reply, he was interrupted. [No, Ddraig, but I do]. Wait, that was from Azazel's artificial sacred gear, Down Fall Dragon Spear, containing Fafnir, the Gigantis Dragon King.

"Fafnir, this doesn't concern you."

He could hear the sealed dragon scoff. [I never raised a hatchling, Ddraig. That said, the only way you'll get Issei to forget about the one he calls father is by having him experience firsthand how the world works. He will come to his own conclusions about Acnologia in time]. Coming to his own conclusion could be disastrous though, Ddraig had to consider that fact.

"Well said," Azazel approved. "I've always found Fafnir to be reasonable."

"Reasonable," he repeated, sarcastically. Fafnir hadn't ever raised a child, how was that supposed to be reasonable?

The fallen sighed at the stubborn heavenly dragon. "Will you at least consider it? It won't kill you."

"Alright, I'll consider it," Ddraig relented, suffering another blow to his pride.

That brought relief all around. "Don't fret too much over this Ddraig, Issei's tough."

Under his breath, the red dragon muttered, "his heart is softer than the rest of him..." The kid may not know it yet, but from what his uncle had seen, he was kindhearted beyond measure. Befriending Gildarts despite years of Acnologia's teaching was proof of that, and his heart would one day either bring him triumph or ruin.

"I'll have Raynare locked up when she comes back and give her a lecture or two. This won't happen twice."

"Thank you, both of you. Issei just met with some of the devils in the area, and I'm curious as to what happened, so I'm heading back to my place."

Ddraig began walking back towards the door. "Don't forget we're meeting up Friday for drinks," He kept walking without a word, prompting the fallen to stand up and slam his fist on the desk. "Oi, Ddraig, don't ignore me! Ddraig!"

"You know I wouldn't miss a chance like that," the dragon laughed.

With that, he closed the door behind him, making Azazel once again alone. The leader sat down and rubbed his temples for a couple seconds before resting his head in his hand, bored. [While we're talking about your mistakes, you still haven't gotten me that secretary's panties]. Fafnir, while an upstanding and reasonable dragon, had an enormous panty fetish, one that Azazel was happy to oblige.

"Trust me, she's a challenge, but it'll be worth the wait."

[Heh, I don't regret this partnership for a second].

.

Back at the Hyoudou residence, Issei had gotten back from an especially lame kendo practice that hardly compared to the unusual meeting with Rias Gremory and her peerage. He knew she was leading the conversation a bit back then, but he couldn't help but find her honesty admirable for a devil. He also knew that her peerage was full of kind and humble people who would never accept an tyrannical king, and that was probably the reason he chose to join the club in the first place. Well, that and it would be better to hang out with devils who could appreciate how strong he was instead of humans who he couldn't show off too. What? He was a dragon, pride practically ran in his blood.

Currently, he was in his room gaming. Ddraig rarely cared what he did in his free time and what grades in got in school, so after kendo and his own personal training, he would kick back and relax. Between his 3DS, computer, and PS4, (donations from that unknown benefactor that Ddraig hung out with so often) he had everything he would ever need. The fact that he could get all these games and consoles meant that whatever birthday present Ddraig was withholding could be even more exceptional than anticipated.

Then, he smelled a familiar person enter the house. "Hey, Uncle!"

Ddraig walked into Issei's room and leaned over his shoulder, watching him get wrecked in Smash Bros. "Hey, partner. So, I met up with my contact in the Grigori, and they assure that Raynare will be dealt with accordingly."

"Ehh! She was an ass and I hate her, but she's not important enough for that." Huh, okay, Ddraig was a bit lost. Just yesterday, Issei had been pissed over what she'd done, and now he had accepted it? "It's more my fault for being weak. Don't worry, it won't happen again. I'm hanging with the devils at school now, so they'll spot anything like that."

"Really? I thought you said that 'dragons don't need to pick sides,'" Ddraig recalled.

"That was a year ago," Issei dismissed, still a little distracted by his game. "Rias Gremory isn't bad. She even showered in the clubroom!"

"There's a shower in your club?" Ddraig sighed. "Are you sure you aren't just being a complete pervert?"

Issei's cheeks flushed a rosy red. "I uhh. She has amazing breasts, Ddraig, even better than that brunette you brought over a month ago!"

"Bah," the Welsh Dragon rejected, "she's too young to be that hot."

"She _is_ a devil," Issei argued. "But she wasn't just a beauty! She was really nice and cared for her peerage."

"You seem too interested in the Gremory devil." Ddraig became suspicious. "You don't want to be a _servant_ do you?" The connotation was not lost on his nephew.

"No! I mean, she's a good devil and all, but if I become a devil, then how would I be a Dragon King?" That was as fair a reason as any, Ddraig supposed. With Issei's goal to become a Dragon King then surpass his father, he definitely didn't want to take a step down in strength by becoming the servant of someone weaker than him. Though, he could also be referring to the fact that Tannin, now a devil, had to relinquish the title of Dragon King.

"That's your only reason?"

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. Issei placed his 3DS down and faced his uncle, completely serious. "I don't care how messed up he is, I won't disappoint my father." It seemed Issei's misplaced admiration hadn't wavered in the slightest, even if he was no longer anything like the black chaos dragon. There was complete silence.

Issei finally picked his game back up and refocused his attention. "Do you know why Tannin wanted to be a devil?"

Ddraig hummed, relieved for a change in topic. "He is a good dragon, if misguided. He strongly believes that our race is in danger because we are too arrogant, so he became a devil to protect the next generation. As a Dragon King, the rating games the devils played probably seemed a good test of strength and ability."

"Rating games?"

"I thought I taught you about them. You didn't forget did you?" Issei rubbed the back of his head and smiled dumbly. "Please, Great Red, spare me from my idiot nephew," he ruthlessly teased. "It is a series of competitions where one king and their peerage fights against another. They have ranking systems and large battlefields, and the fights are televised. Tannin's gotten a reputation for being on the ultimate-class."

"That actually sounds pretty cool," the brunette pondered.

"Don't tell me you've changed your mind."

"Hell no!" The teen grinned.

"Good. About that club that you joined with the devils: what can you actually do?" He had no idea how a non-devil could contribute anything to a bunch of devils fulfilling pacts and taking out strays far below a dragon's level.

Issei had stopped by after kendo and asked a similar question. After Rias was done reassuring him that, devil or not, he'd be a huge addition to the Occult Research Club, she told him what he'd be doing. "Buchou said I could see what it's like to meet with clients. I also get to practice my swordsmanship with Yuuto, and he's a knight who's been using swords forever!"

"So, she's Buchou now? Already, she basically has you as a trial run devil." First he calls her 'president,' then 'master.' Ddraig still wasn't entirely sure she wasn't just playing him. From what he had heard about the Gremory family, however, he seriously doubted it. Though they could manipulate with the best of them, they wouldn't be so obvious or straightforward about it, nor would they be that ignorant of Issei's intentions.

"Yeah. It'll be fun. I'll show them what it means to be a dragon, just like you said."

At least Issei hadn't gotten any less determined. Still, there was always time to make a joke out of the situation, especially when Issei was so self-conscious when it came to women. "I hope you don't spend too much time staring at your president's boobs."

"N-no faith!" Issei whined.

.

"Ise-kun," Rias was saying, "now that you're a member of the Occult Research Club, you have obligations just like the rest of us." It was a day later after school when the club met again in the old school building. Usually, Rias's peerage would stay there until they went home for the night, meaning it was of an all day affair. Issei decided that Ddraig wouldn't mind him getting home around eleven or twelve each night, so he spend much of the afternoon there after kendo ended.

"Obligations?" He complained.

Rias nodded. "I told you yesterday that you'll be subbing in for a few clients as a temp devil, right? Well, Koneko's double booked for tonight, so you'll be meeting with one of her clients."

"Are you sure that's okay? I mean, I'm not even a devil."

The redhead smiled. "Ise, you're plenty able to fulfill a contract. I even have this handy tool that should calculate the price you should ask for. Of course, the contract would still belong to Koneko, since you're not eligible, but I think it'll be a fun way for you to meet people."

'Seems more like an odd way to meet people,' he thought, a bit lost. "Koneko-chan must be a pretty awesome devil if she gets all those requests."

"People like cute and strong," Rias shrugged. "I'm glad you're helping out."

"...Yeah... you're rad Issei-senpai." He'd never get used to her using words like 'rad'.

"Hehe, whatever helps you out. How am I supposed to get there, though? Those leaflets have some type of teleport circle, right?"

Rias hummed in thought for a second. "I could give you the mark of my family to allow you to use my magic circle."

Issei shook his head. "You guys are cool and all, but I'm not your servant." Gaining the ability to specifically use Rias's family's transportation circles would mean that he would be an honorary member of their family. That implied he'd be a servant devil, which wouldn't be that bad in the Gremory household, but it was something he had decided against for the time being. Plus, he already had a family, even if half of it was in a different world."

"Well, then you have to find your own way there. Your device should also show location."

"That's cool," Issei replied to reassure them. "I love flying anyways."

Flying at night was truly one of his favorite things. After they let him go, he was off in a heartbeat, a huge grin on his face. He even used his hybrid form, something he hadn't done at all recently, since he hadn't had much reason to go flying. In this form, he had taken some advice from Ddraig and covered himself properly, since it wasn't logical to fight naked against any other species. Similarly to Tannin, Issei wore two shoulder pads that connected in the back, almost like a short cape, and a loincloth, all in dark grey to stand out from his pitch black scales.

Though it was a short trip, the darkness made for nigh infallible cover that he could enjoy for hours, and he didn't have to be worried about devils or fallen angels spotting him anymore. For a while, he felt unburdened and free, like how he was supposed to feel.

It wasn't long before he had landed at a door, resuming his human form (Kuoh Academy uniform returning along with it) and checking his crude GPS to make sure he was in the right spot. Then, he knocked. "Hey, Mortisawa-san, I'm with the devil you called for. Can you open up?"

A twentysome year old, thin man with black hair and glasses opened the door, seeing the brown-haired teen still knocking. "Oh, hey."

"Get outta here."

"Wait!" Issei yelled, grabbing the door as the man tried to slam it shut.

"What kind of devil knocks on doors! And the one I summoned is Koneko-chan, not you."

"I'm not a devil," the teen replied. "I'm a dragon!"

"Really? Morisawa sarcastically shot back. "You _sure_ look the part."

Issei was annoyed already, but he was determined not to give up on the contract. "Koneko-chan was busy today, so she sent me instead." Instead of debating this further, he spread out his wings, surprising the man.

"I suppose you can come in..." he decided eventually, opening the door all the way. Issei stepped into Morisawa's small apartment. Though small, it was by no means generic. Posters for Dragon Ball and other anime lined the walls and his computer had a large stack of games right next to it. Issei recognized a couple of the games, but he wasn't too well versed with most of the other references and posters around the room. "You want any tea? Do _dragons_ even drink tea?"

'He still doesn't believe me,' Issei moaned, not looking forward to having to prove he was telling the truth. "Sure, I'll have some." The man nodded and went into the kitchen and grabbed two cups, probably already prepared for him and Koneko. "What does Koneko-chan normally do for you? I've never done this before so I'm kind of out of my element here."

"Great a newbie," he lamented, placing two cups of tea on the table. "I wished for a cute devil, and I get some kid claiming he's a dragon, and now he says he's a newbie."

"I'm right here you know!" Issei exclaimed.

Morisawa really didn't seem to care. "Yeah, yeah. I wished for Koneko because I wanted for her to wear this." He grabbed an girls school uniform that was hanging on the door. At Issei's blank look, he elaborated. "It's the uniform of Nagato Yuki." He sighed. "From Suzumiya Harui? The popular anime?"

"Sorry, Morisawa-san," the brunette replied timidly. "I won't wear that.

The man was agitated but remained outwardly calm. "Of course you won't!" He shouted, as if offended at the thought. "Alright then, since you're a dragon, you must have some special skill, like Koneko-chan's super strength. She can literally sweep me off my feet!"

He liked being carried by such a young, cute girl? Well, to each his own, Issei supposed, but he'd never let his pride fall so far. "My special skill..." He supposed he could tell him about his magic, since Morisawa didn't have any reason to tell anyone else. "I use Chaos Dragon magic."

"Magic, huh?"

"Yeah, it's good at blowing things up." Actually, that was pretty much all Chaos Dragon magic was useful for, and the rest he could do with the typical magic Ddraig taught him.

"Sounds strong. Nowhere near as strong as the dragons from Dragon Ball, but still cool." How can he judge so quickly! If Issei kept up conversations like this, he'd be a self-conscious mess. "I don't suppose you could show me?"

"I-in here! I don't want to wreck anything."

"Then don't claim you can!" The man shot back. This logic was seriously baffling.

"Okay, fine. Here," Issei stood up and gathered his energy around his hand until it was actually creating a powerful current in the room. Too late he realized this was a terrible idea. "Chaos Dragon's Fist!" He declared, punching the table and pulverizing everything, making Morisawa drop his tea, the cup shattering on the ground.

"You... you."

"I'm sorry!" Issei panicked, "I just had to prove..." Wait, what exactly was he trying to prove again? All he could focus on was the distinct lack of a table and the splinters impaled in the wall.

"That was awesome!" The man exclaimed. Did Issei hear him right... 'Awesome'? That table was pretty expensive, and that was what he was focusing on? "Still, that hardly seems worthy of a dragon."

"I didn't use like any of my power," the brunette muttered. It was about then that he figured that he should take this man's judgmental words to heart and instead just enjoy his time.

Morisawa nodded, understanding. "For my contract, you'll get me a new table. But first, I have some anime to show you."

Issei was in for a long and interesting night.

.

The next morning, Issei was exhausted. He had gone home and gotten about two hours of sleep before he alarm clock blazed to life signifying the one thing he'd rather forget about: school. With a slam, he accidentally shattered the thing into bits. Watching anime was cool and all, but the endless commentary and spoilers from Morisawa got old quickly. The dude was a die hard Dragon Ball fan, and he even tried to get Issei to do Kamehameha, which the latter refused. Showing off, while it was fun at first, ended up straight up ridiculous when the requests got weirder and weirder.

The school day was just as insufferable, and Issei found himself skipping kendo completely just so he didn't have to deal with hyperactive girls beating the crap out of each other (and sometimes him). Sure, he would have been fine, since any normal human would only able to deal minimal damage, but it was still tiring to work on katas and form, and he had enough of tiring. So, he found himself wandering into the old school building half awake and yawning.

Rias was already in the room, and everyone else had yet to arrive. "I heard what you did for Koneko. Spending all night with her client was very kind of you. Morisawa-san gave quite the positive review."

"I broke his table," Issei said, "then we talked for hours. He was a nice guy, but it was exhausting, and I didn't get much sleep."

Rias laughed softly. "It's not often a contract requires a devil to fix someone's table. I assure you that most are a little less mundane."

"Trust me, that was't mundane. I know more about Dragon Ball Z then I have any right to. Do we ever get to battle anyone?"

"Well, there are times we're called to take down a stray devil, like the one from two years ago. They abandon their masters in their own greed and become a menace towards humans. The stray you met was particularly foul. Apart from that there's the rating games."

"Yeah, those sound really cool." Fighting just for the purpose of fighting was something dragons were great at. Most weren't too prideful or bloodthirsty at Issei's age, yet he was raised by one of the most self-centered dragons of them all. "I heard about them from my uncle, but I won't join for them. I'll still fight Tannin one day, so they'll recognize me as a Dragon King."

"Recognize you?" Rias wondered aloud. "Hmm, you are up to speed on devil culture, at least as much as one would expect a non-devil to be, but I know next to nothing about dragons. I'm your club president and, although you are not my servant, learning about their system would help me understand you better."

Issei rubbed his head in thought. "We're not that organized... All titles and stuff are honorary mostly and just for respect. Dragons start anywhere in low, mid, or high class. Earth dragons are considered mid-class, but if one grows strong enough they could become high-class. I'm considered high-class right now, but that runs from sprite dragons to anything short of Dragon King, so don't think I'm weak for a second." Rias would have never considered Issei as weak, and both knew it. "A dragon can advance in status by defeating a stronger dragon, or they can become so tough that everyone recognizes them as completely awesome. I want to beat up Tannin and make the Five Great Dragon Kings six again. Then, I'll challenge my father..."

"Ah yes... that's a noble goal, Ise-kun," she smiled, standing closer to him. "I too want to step out of the shadow of my family's name... I'd rather be known as Rias than the heiress of Gremory."

The door opened and Akeno came in, giggling at the sight of Issei and Rias standing so close to each other. Followed by her was Yuuto then Koneko. "Ara ara, you two seem to be having fun."

Rias rolled her eyes. "Nothing happened, Akeno."

That didn't stop her teasing. "So Issei-kun is available then?"

"No!" Both Rias and Issei shouted.

They stared at each other for a second, then the dragon broke the awkward pause. "I'm not dating right now."

The redhead nodded, agreeing. "It's too soon."

"Ara ara, all I hear is you taking an interest in our adorable kouhai."

"I'm not adorable!" Issei complained.

"I'm not interested!" Rias defended simultaneously. She _was_ interested in Issei, but not in that way!

Kiba shook his head, a smirk growing on the prince's features. Koneko didn't seem as involved with the situation "...You're all crazy..."

'Straight through the heart, Koneko-chan,' Issei cried inwardly. She turned to Issei and bowed. "Thank you for the contract."

"Err. It was my pleasure. The guy thought dragons were the best, so we had a fun time." Issei added a mental note that they _were_ the best. Back when he lived in Kuoh as a child, whether he remembered or not, he thought they were awe-inspiring, and it was only fitting that he was one now.

"Narcissist..." Koneko supplied with her intense form of humor. "You're epic though..."

Kiba chose now to speak up. "Are you skipping Kendo Club, Issei-san?" He inquired politely.

Issei shrugged. "it's five days a week. They can miss me for one of them."

"Don't think you're getting out of sparring just yet, Ise-kun," Rias interrupted.

"Buchou wants to set up a spar between the two of us," Kiba elaborated. "After hearing about your talent in kendo, I'm eager for this test."

"Well, I wouldn't call it talent... Sword's definitely aren't my best way of fighting." It was strange for a dragon to ever consider using a weapon, and often it meant a complete lack in self-confidence and the strength of one's body. That didn't stop Issei from wanting to learn it, though it was mostly for his own entertainment and not for actual battle situations.

"You're modest enough about this that it's offensive," Kiba pointed out. "I'm sure you are very strong in of yourself, but your kendo is skilled too."

'Not comparatively,' he thought to himself, relenting. "It'll be fun to have more of a challenge. I never got to let loose when competing against humans." When he trained, he strove for finesse, not strength, so he always used his base, human ability independent of any magic power he had. It gave him the rush of becoming stronger all over again.

"I agree."

Rias propped a hand on a table. "Now that that's settled, I know the perfect place for you two."

Oddly enough, as it turned out, there was an open area behind the school that had nothing but perfectly manicured grass and a few leafy trees. It seemed like a nice area for a picnic, Issei considered randomly. Kiba and Issei stood facing each other, neither with a weapon at the moment. While Kiba seemed focus, yet easygoing about the ordeal, the dragon's mind was wandering a little. 'Oh, wait! I don't even own a real blade anyways!' That's right, they always used bokken for their pseudo-battles in kendo, even for competitions, since humans seemed to be adverse to real danger, despite that it was a _sword_ fight.

The knight drew his weapon, a typical sword one would expect from a knight.

"Do you not have a sword, Issei-san?"

Though Kiba was polite, Issei was sure that the blond was mocking him. "No..."

"Here you go, then." He reached out his other hand and blue energy coalesced into the form of a sword, creating an exact duplicate of his. Then, he tossed it to the dragon, who snatched it out of the air with ease.

"Ready, pretty boy?"

Kiba smirked. "Whenever you are."

Man, he could not get a rise out of Kiba, could he? After the short moment of failure, he walked purposefully towards the prince. "Let's go!" With that declaration, he thrust his sword at the blond's chest.

Kiba parried easily, countering with his own swipe. Issei bashed it aside just before it struck him in the shoulder, but the knight was already launching another attack. The dragon found himself on the defensive, the knights formidable speed allowing him to continue unhindered. After a few blows, Issei saw an opening in the barrage and took it, forcefully slamming Kiba's sword far above his head.

Just as he went in for the win, Kiba deftly flipped over and blocked. This devil was no slouch at all but Issei wasn't done yet. While the knight was faster, it was the dragon's turn. Issei stepped in, getting closer, then the two continued trading blows with speed and precision. Then, he knocked Kiba's sword away again, this time to his right, yet the knight pivoted and kicked Issei in the chin before he could end it.

The two skidded back and took a respite. Moments later, Kiba was back on the attack, feigning a jab to his stomach. Issei jumped to the right to avoid it, though Kiba was expecting that and crashed into him, knocking him off balance. The blond seized the moment to place his sword against the dragon's neck.

"You're quick," Issei complimented. Kiba removed the sword.

"Do you really think so little of me that you won't use any magic power?" The knight wasn't using much, yet he knew the fight shouldn't be this basic.

"If you wanna get serious, that's fine by me," the brunette replied, letting his wings appear behind him. He then channeled enough energy in his sword to make it gain a distinctively blue hue.

Issei, with a burst of power from his wings, surged forward at impressive speeds, swiping right at Kiba's head, who ducked just in time. Then there was another slash, this time at his knees, so he jumped and stuck his sword out, parrying the uppercut that came after and landing lightly on his feet. The blond tried to regain momentum, but he kept being pushed back and was forced to dodge.

There! Issei spotted opportunity and swung his sword downwards towards Kiba's shoulder. With a clang, the knight blocked it, so Issei swung a magic-packed punch, Right before it hit, a sword materialized in Kiba's left hand, which he stabbed towards Issei's chest. Eyes wide, the dragon hopped back in time, taking to the air with a quick beat of his wings.

But he wasn't quite quick enough, leading to a minute sting in on his stomach. 'Blood?' He looked down, noticing the small, barely skin-deep scratch.

"Shall we take this up another notch?" Kiba suggested, clearly having fun.

"Lets." With that said, Issei knew going into any stronger form would give his opponent little chance at lasting one second. Still, he flared his energy slightly for the spirit of it all.

Devil wings opened from Kiba's back and he let his power increase exponentially, concentrated in whatever that sacred gear of his was. "My sacred gear, as you have seen, allows me to create swords at will. It's called Sword Birth. Here's a demonstration."

A magic circle appeared in front of him, then giant swords burst from the ground under Issei, forcing him to gain altitude. His attention somewhat distracted, Kiba leaped into the air and the two clashed swords again, the smaller knight being bounced away by the impact. Issei smirked, gathering the energy along his blade. "Chaos Dragon's Slash!"

A wave of energy, razor thin and sharp, flew at Kiba, who barely managed to dodge the unexpected attack. When it hit the ground, there was a small explosion and a line-shaped indent. But Issei didn't let the pause lengthen, flying at Kiba and slamming his sword against both of the knights'. Though the blond managed to block it, he was smashed to the ground from the immense force behind the attack, landing painfully on his back. When he leaned to get up, a sword was pointed at his neck.

"You wanted me to win..." Issei argued sheepishly, reaching a hand out.

Kiba laughed, then smiled, accepting the hand and standing up. "I suppose I did. You're really something."

Akeno made her presence known. "Ara ara, I like a man with talent."

"Yes, you both did magnificently," Rias praised. "And I still have yet to see the true extent of your power Ise-kun," she almost laughed for some reason, probably at how Issei beat one of her knights without much problem and had much, much more left.

"...you were cut..." Koneko pointed out.

Issei's face almost reddened from embarrassment at his mistake. "Kiba's second sword surprised me... It's pretty sharp too, better than that fallen angel's light spear."

"So our tough guy isn't so tough after all," Akeno chuckled.

Rias didn't seem to share her amusement. "This isn't Ise-kun's normal form..." She trailed off, talking quieter to herself, though everyone could still hear. "That level of resistance without the protection of a dragon's scales?" She smiled at Issei and, at regular volume, said, "You really are amazing. Yuuto isn't an easy opponent."

"Thanks," Issei blushed.

One day, he knew he would show them just how powerful he was.

But today, he had homework.

.

The next few days, Issei found that sparring with Kiba was almost a substitute for Kendo Club. The knight taught him a few tricks with the sword that were useful in real fights, while Issei gave him an insurmountable challenge that Kiba surprisingly welcomed. The dragon still went to kendo club a couple times a week, and his dwindling attendance made his two co-captain friends upset. Having his only two human friends upset was not on the top of his list, so he attended kendo today and decided to head home after.

Well, not directly home. Something had compelled him to take a walk through the park. It was like an alluring smell, except he could neither smell nor sense a thing, not that he realized how strange that was in the spur of the moment. After wandering around for a few minutes, remarking to himself on the superb weather, he shrugged and began to head home.

Just then, he heard a startled cry. "Aah!"

He turned to see a blond haired girl sprawled on the ground. Her clothing was strange, something he recognized as what a nun would wear. Was this cute little girl a nun? "Are you alright?"

Issei helped her up. "Oh. Yeah. I'm okay." Once she stood up, a gust of wind blew her white shawl off her head, and she opened her bright green eyes in shock.

The dragon stared at her face for a while, feeling odd. 'What is this?' He wondered, only then noticing that he was still holding her hand. "Ah, sorry." The nun's white fabric blew away again, but he snatched it out of the air without much effort. "Here you go."

"Thank you! That was very sweet of you," she thanked, radiating an aura of benevolence and compassion.

'She seems so innocent... She's pretty too, but more in the cute way than the sexy way.' Issei liked women, not girls, though he still had this attraction to the blond, and he wasn't sure why. "Don't worry, it was nothing. Are you a member of the church."

"Uh, yeah," she replied. "Um, I'm a bit lost... do you think you could help me out?" She ended it with a wide smile and put her hands together as if in prayer, an insanely adorable gesture that made Issei melt. He could imagine how tough it would be to get lost in a foreign country when you spoke a different language. Thankfully, Tannin, in his close work with devils, had invented a translation spell that worked for dragons in a manner similar to the devil's innate ability.

"I've only lived here for a year and a half, but I'm sure I could help you find wherever your going!" He gave her a thumbs up, and she blushed.

She picked her brown satchel that she dropped and began walking alongside Issei. "I'm so glad I ran into someone kind like you."

"Really?" Issei grinned back.

"Yes! I guess someone really is looking out for me."

"Yeah," the brunette agreed happily. "So, where are we going?"

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" She panicked. "We just started walking and I didn't tell you where to."

Wow, she really was a kindhearted girl. "Don't worry 'bout it."

The blond seemed to compose herself. "I was recently stationed at the church here, but I'm having trouble finding it."

"There's a kind of creepy one on the top of a hill. Is that it?'

She hummed. "Well, I think they mentioned a hill."

"Great, then lets check it out." What, why was he so focused on helping her out? Surely she couldn't be that much more different than the hundreds of other humans that pass through Kuoh on a daily basis. Sure, she was probably the nicest person he'd ever met, and that was without getting to know her, but he felt a little too protective over her.

"You're so kind, mister!"

Mister? "Ah, uh. My name's Issei Hyoudou." It felt nice to say it in that order, and since she was foreign she'd understand fine. Japan's use of surname first was funky.

"Pleased to meet you Issei-san! I am Asia Argento."

"Mah, just Issei is fine. I'm not Japanese either."

Out of the blue, a pained cry filled the air. A young boy, probably around nine or ten, was laying on the ground in tears. It seemed he had tripped and scraped his knee, reminding Issei of how fragile humans were. He was about to keep on walking when he noticed Asia wasn't at his side anymore, and she ran over to help the injured boy.

She rubbed his head comfortingly. "A big boy like you shouldn't cry over a scrape. Don't worry, you're going to be fine." She placed both of her hands above his knee, and Issei's eyes widened at what happened. A silver ring materialized on her finger and a green light emanated from her palms. Then, before his eyes, the wound healed until there was no trace left. Unconsciously, he remembered the small scratch Kiba had given him, and not even that had healed so perfectly. "You see, there's no reason for you to cry at all." She faced Issei and added, "all done now, sorry.'

Was there any way for her to get cuter? She had even stuck her tongue out when she said that! "What, oh yeah..."

They resumed walking, turning onto the street corner in silence. Issei wasn't one for awkward pauses, but he was deep in thought about Asia's power. Immediately, he had figured out that it was a sacred gear, yet he never learned about any sacred gears that could heal others. It was a power that was meant for someone selfless, just like Asia...

"You must be surprised."

"Huh?" Issei replied, startled out of his thoughts. "Oh, no, not at all. The ability to heal... that's pretty nifty." It could make anyone durable enough to take a bunch of hits with minimal damage nigh unstoppable too.

She smiled warmly. "Thank you. I consider it to be a gift and a blessing." In a way, it is kind of both, since it originates from God, Issei mused. "Truly... it's wonderful."

Did she just sound almost mournful? But something like that, something that could help others, was something Issei had been looking for ever since Gildarts first lectured him on life. If he had that sacred gear instead of being Acnologia's son... would he be happier? 'No. I would still be weak, even if it's what Gildarts was talking about.' No, he'd rather be a dragon, though he didn't stop thinking about what could have been if he could help others. "Sorry," he mumbled out, before continuing normally. "say, being a nun who can heal sounds like fate."

"Fate?" Asia jumped, seemingly never having made that connection. "I suppose so. Begin able to do God's work has made me happy." 'So, why does her tone suggest something more?' Issei wondered. It was rude to pry any further, and Asia was already such an honest person that he didn't want to trouble her about her past. God knew he didn't want to talk about his.

"Isn't this the one?" Issei asked, pointing off into the distance. It was a normal distance that humans could see, right? Because sometimes he seemed like an idiot when pointing out smells, sounds, or sights normal people couldn't register. "I'm pretty sure it's the only church we have in town."

"Yep, there it is!" Asia brightened up immediately, making him wonder is her somber tone was his imagination. "Thank goodness we found it. That's a relief."

Issei hummed in agreement. "I would never have let you wander around lost."

"Let me thank you properly, then. Would you like to come inside with me?"

"I don't know... I've never been in a church." Issei considered it. On one hand, it would definitely make Rias upset, but he wasn't his servant so there was nothing she could do. It also could mean he encountered angels, who might not like seeing a potential threat. On the other, Asia was so sweet, and he felt obligated to keep her safe and follow through on his commitment. The last thing he wanted was for anything to happen to her on the way there.

Asia didn't seem offended that he didn't accept immediately. "That's okay. You don't have to."

"You know what, that sounds awesome."

"Really? Oh, thank you Issei!" She seemed so overjoyed that it made him sport a grin too. The blond nun truly did brighten the day.

As the two walked towards the old church, they got to know one another a little better. Issei told her that he lived with his uncle, Red, and that he went to a private school called Kuoh Academy. It was then that he learned that Asia had never actually gone to school, having spent her entire life in the care of the church. He supposed that it explained her compassionate personality, but he had no idea what could have occurred back then to make her question her sacred gear.

The church itself was nothing much. Aside from the large grounds and interesting placement above the town, it was relatively like a normal building. Multicolored stained glass decorated the windows, and the architecture was practically the standard as far as churches go. The entire thing did seem pristine, however, and the white walls were newly painted. On the inside, there were the typical pews, but it was completely vacant. In fact, Issei didn't remember ever seeing anyone up here before.

"So, this is your stop, huh?"

"Uh-huh," she said. "It was such a blessing to meet you, Issei, and I know for sure that I'll never forget your kindness."

That was easily the most gratitude he'd ever received, and it felt... nice. "You're a very considerate and compassionate person, it was the least I could do."

Asia nodded. "Um, before you go, would you like to pray with me? I haven't prayed with anyone else in a while and, well..." she trailed off and blushed.

Pray? For what, someone to help him? What would he ever need to pray for that he couldn't go get himself? Issei was raised to do things for himself, even if his guardians were overprotective, but he had never heard of prayer helping. "What would I pray for?"

"Anything, silly." Asia joked with a huge grin. "I always pray for a friend."

"Aren't I your friend?" Issei asked, only noticing that he was so open about it afterwards.

"Of course," she agreed. "My prayers must have been answered. So, why don't you pray for what you want too?" It was meant to be rhetorical, but the answer was all too clear.

Issei rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not sure God'll want to listen to me. I've done bad things in the past... and I'm not sure I regret them enough to ask for forgiveness."

"Oh," Asia seemed to deflate. "That's fine."

He placed his hand on her shoulder for a second. "I should get going, but I'd like to meet up with you again."

"Just come and see me here, at the church." Asia smiled, giving him a little wave.

Issei returned the gesture and turned to leave. Still, before he returned to his home, something didn't feel right. Sure, the church itself was a bit off and smelt funny, but there was something else that he had to get off his chest. Only now did he discover what the was. "Asia, before I leave, I want you to know something. I'm not a human, I'm a dragon."

"Oh, okay." She didn't shift her gleeful expression at all. Not only that, but it sounded like she believed him and was totally accepting of the fact. "You're the first dragon I've met."

"You're not scared or anything?"

"Nope," Asia replied, as if it was obvious. "Because you're my friend, Issei."

That sentence hit him right in the heart, almost making him laugh uncontrollably with a mixture of relief and something else he couldn't identify. When he calmed down, he waved again. "I'll meet with you in a couple days, then. Bye Asia!"

.

As the clear skies became streaked with color then eventually faded into the purples and navy blues of the evening, a woman walked through a dark alley, the shadows dancing along the path. She had long black hair and little clothing made mostly of measly black leather strips, but her most obvious feature was the violet eyes gazing wearily around her environment. She knew she was being watched, it was to be expected. After all, one does not go to visit _her_ and expect it to be a surprise. Well, most didn't come back alive, but she liked to think she was a special case.

She, Raynare, had an edge, a favor to call in. Though, as the sky grew darker, the plain metal door in front of her was beginning to look daunting. With a gulp, the normally confident fallen angel creaked open the door.

It was almost pitch black, illuminated by only the feeble light the door let in. Barely, she could make out a figure, the woman she was searching for. The one with the answers.

"Raynare." Her voice was harsh, uncaring, as it was towards every other fallen angel.

"Yoru no Kabe." Her alias meant 'wall of night,' a name that fit her unique skills well. It was said she had killed tens of fallen angels of varying strength by draining their magic in their sleep. No one but Raynare knew how she did it.

The woman kept her dispassionate tone. "Times must be dire for you to seek me out."

Raynare bowed as a form of respect, a courtesy towards Yoru's Japanese heritage. "I have need of your particular magic."

"So, you seek to call in your favor." Her voice always sounded so ominous as if she was still haunted by the past and was threatening retribution in the future. That was what scared Raynare so much; revenge could make people unpredictable, and Yoru was well known for her revenge.

"Unfortunately. I'm worried my plans could be ruined by my ex. He's a dragon, by the way." No one

The woman let out a small huff of surprise, though whether it was genuine or not wasn't clear. "Dangerous creatures," she mentioned offhand.

Raynare sighed. "Yes they are. This one managed to make me believe he was human for almost a whole week. I just need the ability to delay him, in case he becomes a problem."

"Will you be able to get close enough to touch them?" It was an odd yet necessary question.

"Yes, _that_ shouldn't be a problem."

Raynare could have sworn that the mysterious woman's smirk was sinister. "Then I can help you take care of this pest."

.

AN: Thanks for sticking through this chapter! The twist at the end is something I've been waiting to write for a while now. This marks the start of the main plot, so I'll really be able to get going on this soon. For the record, mystery woman is actually not an OC.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: The lack of reviews last chapter was somewhat offputting. I went back and wrote some other stuff for my own amusement while I tried to figure out why it was that no one bothered to even comment. Well, never mind that. I apologize for a couple awful typos in last chapter. Hopefully they're all fixed now.

Also, I updated the character listing and the pairing for the story. As you may notice, Rias isn't in there as a main character. I assure you, that was just so all the main characters could be shown as dragons, since that's kind of the focus of the story.

Sorry bout the wait for this update. I have tons of essays to write, and it takes up far more time than I'd like. I'd also like to thank The Composcreator for agreeing to beta.

Thanks, and here's chapter 6.

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Chapter 6: Friend and Foe

Issei was at home relaxing when he received a note from Rias via a magic circle. All the message said was to meet him at some distant house and that she'd explain the rest when he got there. Though he liked the Occult Research Club for the most part, he only was beginning to discover that devils didn't reveal all their cards immediately, even when said devil was a friend. For her to think that he'd actually deem it worthy to come without knowing why was quite brazen, as if her whims were more important than whatever he was doing.

That said, all he was doing was gaming on his computer, so he obviously decided to go. But he didn't have to be happy about it. Asia, who he had gone to visit once already just to say hi, would never have demanded something from him like that. She was such a considerate friend, and he couldn't believe that he'd found the exact type of person Gildarts claimed he'd die to protect. Rias, while she was sort of his friend too, was different than Koneko and Asia in that regard. He wouldn't die for Murayama or Katese either, though he did care for the two almost as much as Koneko.

"What's got you so annoyed."

Ah, Ddraig, always nosing about his nephew's business. If anything it'd just gotten worse now that the teen hung out with devils. "Do you need to know everything about my life?"

He nodded and sat down on the other side of the room. "Those devils again, huh?" He got his answer from Issei's reaction.

"Buchou just sent me a message telling her to meet her peerage a couple miles from town."

The Welsh Dragon crossed his arms. "Let me guess, she didn't say why. Listen partner, I wouldn't worry too much. When it comes down to it, you'd probably go anyway, regardless of the reason, so just relax." Says the dragon who hardly cared about anything other than drinking with his buddy.

"If it's something boring, you're gonna get it."

"No I won't," his uncle shot back. True enough, Issei was _awful_ at giving him the cold shoulder.

"Fine." At least he knew when he was beat. "I'm leaving now." Ddraig rolled his eyes as Issei shut the door behind him. That left Ddraig alone with a single prevalent thought... for such a strange upbringing, Issei sure was fantastic at acting like a normal teenager.

.

Flying there at near top-speed took him barely any time at all, much less than a minute. In fact, most of it was spent figuring out where the hell Rias wanted them to meet up for whatever they were doing. Thankfully, he remembered Koneko's unique scent well enough to find the rest of the club. Rias, Akeno, Yuuto, and Koneko were all standing in front of an old house situated in a forest, a surprisingly secluded and remote location in close proximity to the city. The king herself had a small smile, as if she was relieved that Issei had come.

"There you are, Ise-kun. You got here quickly, it seems." It had been about five minutes since he got her message. Another time, he would have felt like a dick if he kept her waiting, but now he thought it would make for some form of retribution.

"Had a little trouble finding the place," he bit out, landing in front of them and putting away his wings.

The president seemed to understand. "I apologize if it was on such short notice. We had only just received this mission from the archduke, and I trusted you were capable enough to find us."

Well, she wasn't wrong with the last bit. 'She's just spinning it...' He may be a bit dense, but he could often see the undertones behind praise. That was basically the one way Acnologia had raised him, complimenting him in a manner that got him to do something else. Either way, "I guess it wasn't too hard to get here."

"Now," Rias began in her business-like attitude, "I bet you're wondering what we called you here for. Rumors were recently confirmed about a stray devil holed up in this house who lures humans inside and then eats them."

"Eww..." That brought back unpleasant memories that he'd preferred to leave untouched. Although Issei had killed before, eating the bodies of sentient beings went a little beyond his childhood mental conditioning. Even his father considered it gross.

Rias seemed to remember something, prompting sympathy. "Yes, you encountered one a lot like this before, and I'm sure the memories are less than enjoyable. All stray devils care about is themselves, having killed their own masters to fulfill their desires of freedom." Issei, though he cared none for the type of stray he'd seen, could image why they would decide on freedom over subservience. In fact, in a dire situation, Issei himself would have probably done a similar thing; although, freedom for a dragon is far more sacred than for a human, and it is also a matter of pride.

"These monsters are pure evil," Kiba commented. "They don't care about anything other than their own selfish desires, and that always ends in ugliness."

Akeno chuckled her signature, frightening way. "It shouldn't be too hard to find the beast and kill it. And having you around might make it more fun." Akeno's sadism was quick to terrify, regardless of power difference.

"This will be a good chance to take a close look at how devils fight."

"So I'm doing nothing?" Issei complained. He loved a good fight.

Both Akeno and Rias giggled, Kiba smirking. Rias, though, was the one to supply what they were all thinking. "I don't think it'd be much of a challenge for you, Ise-kun."

Aww man, this was really no fun. He was under the impression that devils could find tough opponents far easier than he could otherwise at a human school. It wasn't like Ddraig was going to encourage him to get his ass whooped by someone stronger just so he could have a good time, so asking his uncle was out of the question. Beyond that, he never did have much initiative, and he had no idea how to get to the underworld on his own. That only left him with destroying something and waiting until someone powerful notices the mess, and that was stupid, risky, and dangerous. Not to mention that it would piss Ddraig off, and the dragon doesn't get mad at him often. So, that meant he was stuck spectating. "Dang..

Akeno was undeterred. "But Issei, wouldn't you just love to watch me fight?"

"Hands off, Akeno," Rias's jaded command barely made the queen refrain from suggestively rubbing Issei's cheek.

'Thanks for the save, Buchou,' Issei sighed in relief. "I've only seen Kiba's skills, so I guess I can watch the rest of you."

"...Let's begin..." Koneko was always there to keep everyone on track with her blunt comments.

"Right," Rias agreed.

They opened the large doors to a vast first floor. 'Who designs a house like this?' Issei wondered as they wandered through the darkness. To him it felt like wandering, but he was sure that the devils could see fine, as that was the only one of the five senses that he knew they were more adept in. Then again, he figured he could track the target using his acute sense of smell, but the entire place smelled so nasty that he practically refrained from breathing in. Like the last encounter with a stray, the stench of rotting flesh permeated the air, and a sour tang made him want to heave up his lunch. Sometimes, having an impeccable sense of smell could backfire, and all dragons hated that fact. While it wasn't a true vulnerability in an all-out fight, it was still a weakness, and no dragon was a fan of weakness.

"As you may know, the peerage system is based off of chess."

"Chess," Issei hummed, trying to remember the game. "Didn't my father play chess?" He thought aloud.

Kiba's eyes widened at the comment. "I never knew dragons played chess."

"Oh, they don't," Issei affirmed. He was talking about his human father, who was near a chess board in all Issei's memories of him.

None of them got to pose the question on their minds when suddenly a booming voice interrupted them. "I can smell something disgusting. But I can also smell something delicious. Is it sweet? Or is it sour?" There was an obscene chuckle following that.

"Lady, you smell awful!" Issei shouted back, plugging his nose the closer the stray devil got. She didn't smell anything close to a normal devil, that's for sure. Instead, it was a gut-wrenching mix of rotting corpses, a type of horrid monster, and something sickly sweet. If Rias didn't get this over with quickly, he was going to kill this nasty stray and get the hell out.

Rias ignored both of them. "Stray devil Viser, you have abandoned your master and ran away to fulfill the lustful wants and desires that have consumed you. In the name of the Marquis of Gremory, I will bring you to justice." Issei couldn't help but think that she made her speech all flowery and righteous just for him. In his opinion, binding someone to servitude was a little much, even when the servant was willing. Hunting down those who didn't agree didn't sit right with him, but if they were all like this Viser monstrosity then he could easily see why they needed to be dealt with.

As the stray stepped into Issei's vision, he learned that her terrible smell did little to account for how disfigured her body was. Her lower body, like that of a quadruped giant animal, had a mouth with teeth in it. Her upper body appeared human, and she was completely nude. In fact, he though this one was freakier than the one from two years ago, despite the lack of threats to eat him.

"Oh please, you little slut." Viser rubbed her large breasts. "You're just jealous your breasts will never be as luscious as these!"

"This is your final warning, go back to your master now." Issei liked that Rias was assertive, it was a quality he valued. Wow, his mind was wandering a ton today, which was probably better than focusing on the rancid smell.

Issei faced Kiba. "Please tell me they aren't all like this."

The blond shrugged. "They certainly aren't pleasant." Great, just great.

Viser cackled madly as magic circled appeared in front of her breasts and her nipples grew hard. 'This is so fucked up,' Issei shivered. His disgust only grew worse when the magic circles spun and she fired a yellow laser from them, directly at the group. 'Eww,' he groaned as the nasty stuff hit him, melting his shirt in places.

He may have been fine standing there, but the rest dodged, and the shots that missed hit the wall and corroded through the entire thing. 'Now I'm gonna smell bad for the rest of the day!' Issei complained. "Buchou!" He yelled.

"You're okay Issei?" The redhead asked. "Of course you are, how silly of me." She nodded at Kiba, who promptly shot forwards at the stray, drawing his sword. "As you know, Kiba's my knight, so his attribute from the evil piece is speed." The blond was quick and agile, effortlessly slashing off the stray's upper two arms.

Thankfully, Issei wasn't near the blood that gushed from Viser because he wanted to stay as far away from this terrible porno as possible.

"Koneko's my rook," Rias added as the stray charged her, clamping her lower mouth around the cat-like girl. "Her attribute is simple, she has greatly enhanced strength."

Said girl pushed the mouth open, betraying no emotion, not even disgust. "See you on the flipside." All it took was a grab and a short movement to smash the stray into the ground, sending dust flying everywhere. 'Aww,' Issei gushed. Small _and_ with impressive physical strength? 'She's even cuter now!'

The stray was clearly was in pain, and it brought the dragon a small amount of joy. He didn't enjoy killing much anymore, but this was a well deserved punishment, and he wasn't going to cry over trash being thrown out. Not even Ddraig would tell him to spare this monster.

"Akeno," Rias prompted.

The third year student stepped forward, her grin suggesting she was far more thrilled than Issei. "My turn, how exciting! I bet you'll love this Issei-kun!"

"Drop it, Akeno," the Gremory commanded, sighing.

Out of the corner of his eye, Issei spotted one of the severed arms twitching. The moment it shot at Rias, he spat some magic at it, a watered down form of his roar, disintegrating the limb mid-air.

"Thanks Ise-kun."

"No prob," the dragon replied, glad he got to destroy some of Viser, no matter how small a piece. He really didn't like these strays.

Rias regained her composure after seeming a little shaken. "Akeno's my queen, holding the traits of all the other pieces."

Akeno stood in front of the stray. "I've got news for you, you're not the only one who likes to play rough, so let's have some fun." Yellow lightning cackled at her fingertips, as she raised her hands towards Viser.

"Akeno is called the Thunder Priestess for her skill in magic." Oh, another mage, then? That interested Issei. "What's more-"

"This violence," Akeno licked her hand as Viser was electrocuted, wails of pain echoing through the room. "It's making me so hot."

"She loves S&M," Rias finished.

"GAAAHHHHHHH!"

The queen was having a blast. "Is this as good for you as it is for me?"

"It's official," Issei mumbled. "This world makes no sense." He could not believe that Akeno was enjoying this so much. Even though there was an enormous gap in power between the two, she could still make him shudder.

"That's enough Akeno." After some halfhearted protest, the queen let the lightning die down while the room filled with the smell of singed devil. Rias was now only a few feet in front of the fallen Viser's head. "Any last words?"

"Go to hell," the defeated stray croaked out.

"Alright then, let's end this." A red magic circle bearing the crest of Gremory appeared before her. "Game over." Black and red magic leaped towards the devil, swallowing her whole and exploding in a shower of energy. When the show died down, there was literally nothing where Viser used to be.

'That's a lot like one of my moves,' Issei considered idly. At least Rias had magic that was stronger than most human mages, including those in guilds. Still, seeing her use a magic similar to his hardly made up for subjecting him to this horrible place. "You know, I really didn't get to see your team's skills at all."

Rias smiled. "Oh Ise-kun, I can't reveal everything to you. I did think the stray would put up more of a fight, however."

"Yeah, well next time just fight me. You don't need to hold anything back." Maybe he couldn't win in human form, seeing how he wasn't too great at fighting in it, but he could definitely crush them in his hybrid state. As a full dragon, well, it wouldn't even be classified as a fight.

"Ara ara," Akeno giggled, "I'd love to have some fun with you."

"Maybe later, Akeno," Rias interrupted. "Let's head home."

That didn't sound like a bad idea. Issei had a game to get back to.

.

He didn't go back to the Occult Research Club for a few more days. At first, he had gone to kendo, much to the pleasure of Murayama and Katase, but something about that club wasn't satisfying. After he had gotten a taste of the world beneath the one he lived in, pretending to be human and hiding his power grew far less entertaining. The times he did go to the club, he won every fight effortlessly, shocking all of his clubmates. Murayama stood no chance against him when Issei's immense power leaked into his spar, allowing him to win without purely relying on human strength and skill. He was growing restless, and he knew of only one person who had begun to accept him for who he was, Asia.

One afternoon, he went to the church but couldn't find Asia, so he settled with training his magic and meditating for a few hours. Acnologia had taught him the skill of steadying the mind and body because Chaos Dragon Magic could end up controlling the user if they weren't careful. In times of extreme emotion, it could prompt truly devastating actions with no forethought of the consequences. Meditating also helped to increase the power of the magic, since some of its power lied within its close connection to what was known as the One Magic, where all abilities native to Earthland stemmed from. Issei was now able to release his pent-up energy without worry or fear that any of the factions would bother him, thanks to Rias and her peerage.

Although he hadn't seen them at all recently, being allied with them was still a great help. It made him wonder if Tannin had some grounds in believing that joining a faction was actually beneficial to their race. Perhaps, he considered as he meditated, he was being to hard on Rias. 'Uncle wouldn't want me to make a big deal out of something so small. All she wanted was to help me get to know her servants better...' A part of him wanted to demonstrate to Rias that she could never control him, but that part was dwindling as he accepted her reasoning. After the ordeal with Raynare, he had some trouble with trusting that someone taking an interest in him wasn't just going to manipulate them for their own gain. Ddraig, a dragon well versed in this, had told him that Rias wasn't likely to betray him, so he should probably forgive her. He wasn't going to be his father, and he wasn't going to be an ass either.

That settled, he stood up, shifting back into human form. "Ddraig, I'm heading out."

"Alright partner. I'll be gone until tomorrow." Tomorrow? What, was the old dragon hanging out with his buddy again? And, if so, why hadn't he left already? It was well past 8pm.

Issei knew better than to probe deeper into what his uncle did in his free time and took off, flying to the old school building.

When he arrived, he knocked on the door, noticing it was deathly quiet. Strangely, although he was officially in their club, he still felt out of place enough that he had to knock first.

"Come in," he heard from Rias. She didn't sound happy, not at all.

Not knowing what to expect, he entered.

'Aaaahhhhhh!' What did he just walk in on!? Rias was buck naked, laying on an equally naked Koneko, the two pressed together on the couch in a very, very suggestive manner. Rias's perky breasts were squished against Koneko's, and the younger girl seemed to be moaning. 'A-are they in the middle of something!?' Kiba wasn't looking, instead staring a wall, and Akeno seemed a little too interested in her master's actions.

"What the hell!" Issei exclaimed, shutting the door immediately, leaving him back in the hallway. Sure, he'd grown up learning that dragons were upfront about sex, but this took 'upfront' to a whole new level.

As he shut his eyes and tried not to think too hard about what happened, he heard the door opened, and he recognized the person that came out as Kiba. Issei opened his eyes and noticed Kiba was somewhat amused, the blond sighing and placing his hand on the dragon's shoulder. "It's not what it looks like, Issei-san."

"How?" Issei mumbled, sure his perceptions of an innocent cat girl and kind club president were ruined.

"Devils like Buchou can use skinship to heal others. Koneko was injured during one of her jobs, and it was only natural that Buchou offered to help."

"Ehhhhh!?" That was an erotic ability.

Kiba's face went back to that resolute, cold expression he had on earlier. "Koneko was attacked by a stray exorcist, and he shot her through the stomach."

Issei was about to comment, but he didn't want to anger Kiba. Though the two had their differences, and Issei was a bit jealous at the blond's princely looks, he knew when to back off. Clearly, Kiba had some type of past experience with an exorcist or something along those lines. While he wasn't sure what exactly made a stray exorcist a stray, he could take a guess and say it wasn't anything good. Eventually, he figured he had to say something, or Kiba would be even more absorbed in his internal anger. "Is she alright?"

The knight nodded. "You know, you can ask her yourself." Issei was sure he was mocking his reaction from earlier, but his tone and expression left no hint as to whether that was true.

"I will!" Issei humphed, immediately throwing the door open. He slammed it behind him, leaving a confused Kiba.

The sight wasn't as shocking the second time around, especially when he knew that they weren't screwing on the couch. Not even Ddraig did that when he was around, and that dragon had no shame around women. That didn't mean he wasn't slightly aroused at the sight, because he was. It was hard not to be when beautiful naked females were pressed up against each other, regardless of the reason. He hoped he wasn't giving that fact away, though, because he had _some_ dignity.

"Pervert..." It was an utter deadpan.

"My my," Akeno giggled. "It seems that even our dragon has his weaknesses."

'Dammit Koneko-chan!' Issei cried. "You're both naked on the couch, how can I not look!" He even tried closing his eyes, but he didn't want to make this any more awkward than it already was.

Rias chuckled, sitting up next to Koneko, who covered her chest with her arms. "He does have a fair point. After all, Ise isn't as used to the ways devils do things." So it was just Ise now, huh? He wasn't too sure if that was a more or less familiar address than 'Ise-kun.' He'd have to ask one of the kendo girls.

"Kiba explained it to me, okay," he justified. "I just want to know what happened!" Was it so hard for people to tell him straight up what was going on? Everyone in this damn world loved beating around the bush and hiding everything!

The club president didn't seem offended at the annoyed command. She wasn't one to be easily bothered by words. "Koneko would be better equipped than I to explain what happened."

"No... I'd rather not."

Issei stuck his tongue out at her. "Is it too many words, Koneko-chan?" Before he could laugh humiliatingly at his own joke, he controlled himself.

"Well then," the redhead smiled, amused. "I guess I have to fill you in instead." Man, Issei really did not get these people at all. "The client that summoned Koneko was murdered, and a stray exorcist had set a trap for the next unsuspecting devil. The bastard injured her, and I will never forgive him for it." She was really serious about the safety of her peerage, another oddity of the Gremory house. Most devils could care less about the condition of their servants, but Rias's promise just then was cold and serious. It was obvious to Issei that she wasn't playing around. "The exorcist is Freed Sellzen, a priest at the local church."

"The local church!" Issei interrupted. That was where Asia was staying! 'She couldn't have anything to do with this, right?' He banished the thought immediately, knowing that the nun could never harm a living being. Not for any reason, even her life.

"Yes, it appears so," Rias sighed. The fallen who had taken up residence at the church were proving to be a petulant nuisance. "Koneko kept fighting, despite the injury. After all, her trait as a rook is durability, and you know just how strong her will is. The priest about to get in another hit when someone stopped him."

"What do you mean stopped him?" Issei wondered.

That warranted a nonchalant response. "A blond girl pleaded with him not to hurt her."

Koneko nodded. "She was a nun. Asia, I think."

"A-Asia?" Issei stammered. "Why was Asia with that bastard!" He clenched his fist until a few drops of blood dripped from it. She may have stopped Freed from injuring Koneko further, but that didn't exempt her from the murder earlier. Had even Asia, the most honest of souls he'd ever met, lied to him? Was he so stupid to succumb to another deception?

How could he be so pathetic!?

"Relax, Issei," Rias insisted.

They all nearly jumped when they heard a snarl, reminding them that Issei was by no means human. "No! I refuse to believe that such a good person would be involved in murdering anyone!"

This wasn't the Issei Hyoudou they'd all come to know, this was the son of Acnologia. Rias wasn't scared, though, not of someone she had feelings for. "You know her then?" The crimson-haired king concluded. "When I arrived, she seemed ridden with guilt, and I remember her being called a newbie. It's likely that she wasn't a willing participant."

Koneko added on, "Freed nearly raped her." That might not have been the best reassuring comment.

"Raped her..." Issei muttered darkly. No matter what, he would protect her. It was selfish, he knew that. There would never be another person like Asia that enabled him to forget about who he was. When he was with her... he didn't have to worry about blending in or pretending to have the qualities Gildarts tried to instill in him. He could be honest, truthful, for the first time in his life. And she was so innocent and pure, qualities that attracted him as a dragon, and he'd be damned before someone got that chance to ruin that. "Excuse me, I have some business to take care of."

"Wait, Issei, please." The club president stood up, her breasts jiggling.

"What Rias?" She shivered at the direct address, his slitted, icy eyes gazing straight through her.

She ran up and hugged him. "Don't do anything rash. Relations between the devils and the church are already tense enough, and no matter how strong you are, I don't want you caught up in our mess. Please?"

'A devil cares for me?' The thought ran through his head almost subconsciously, and he felt his cold expression soften somewhat. "I'll try, but no promises. I'll teach them that dragons aren't as forgiving as other races."

"Thank you," Rias replied, back in her businesslike 'Gremory' demeanor.

Without another word, Issei turned tail and shut the door behind him, leaving the peerage in awkward silence. Koneko was quick to put on some clothes, deciding that she had enough of being naked in front of everyone. Kiba's cool air hadn't changed for the entire conversation.

"It isn't like you to let a friend walk into trouble," Akeno pointed out.

Rias crossed her arms. "No, its not. But there isn't much that can stop someone like Ise, not when he has his mind up." If he was going to find Asia at the church and deal with the stray exorcist personally, all she could do was wish him luck. Sincerely, though, she hoped he wouldn't be injured or deemed a threat by any higher-ups. She didn't know if she had the political influence to protect him without him being a peerage member.

"I suppose," the Lightning Priestess relented. "How cute of Issei-kun to fit a stereotype about dragons." She chuckled, imaging some _very_ sexy roleplay scenes for the bedroom.

"And what is that?"

Akeno licked her lips at the possibility. "They can't resist innocent little maidens."

.

The thought that he might be seen never even crossed his mind. What a silly thing that would be to worry about when Asia was in danger. He had to find her and save her from that Freed bastard, and he didn't give a damn if people saw his hybrid form. He didn't need to hide, that was something that was for the weak. Or weak-willed, like his uncle, no matter how justified Ddraig was in keeping his identity a secret. That was why he was currently flying over Kuoh, using his sharp, predatory eyesight to scour the ground for any sight of the blond nun, slowly making his way to the old church.

'I have to find her!' He couldn't even think about the possible connection between Asia and Freed, much less the fallen. Surely, that bitch Raynare had some involvement if the exorcist was a so-called 'stray.'

His pupil-less pure white eyes spotted a streak of blond on the hill by the church. 'That's her!' With a swift beat of his wings, he changed direction, aiming straight at Asia. Just before he hit the ground, he pulled up and slowed his momentum to a standstill.

Asia barely had time to recognize the threatening dragon in front of her before strong arms wrapped around her body and pulled her into a hug. She would have yelped, screamed, or struggled, but something about the embrace was gentle, much more so than one would expect from a burly dragon.

"Are you okay, Asia?" He released her from his grasp, checking her over to make sure nothing smelled or looked amiss.

The blond tilted her head. "Issei-san?"

"Oh, right, sorry. I forgot you wouldn't recognize me like this..." In a gesture that hardly fit his intimidating looks, he rubbed the back of his head. "I did tell you to call me Issei."

Asia brought him back into the hug, much to his surprise. "I knew it was you. I think you look really nice as a dragon!" She placed her hands together and smiled.

'Aww,' he blushed, she was just saying that. He knew that his appearance was far more terrifying than 'nice.' That was just the type of person Asia was, the one who accepted him regardless of what he thought he deserved. "I heard about Freed from the devils and had to make sure you're alright."

"I'm okay, really..." her depressed tone betrayed that assurance.

Issei growled ferally, startling Asia a little. "You can't be treated like that! I know you aren't involved with the stuff he is. You can't have killed someone!" 'You're nothing like me...'

She placed a hand on Issei's arm. "He didn't do anything, and I would never take another's life from them."

That was a relief. There was no way she was lying, not with that sincere tone. He wasn't even sure she _could_ lie. "Let's go." He looked up at the church and scowled. "I want to get away from this place."

"Okay!" She nodded enthusiastically. "It's such a beautiful afternoon, so I was going to spend it at the park."

"The park?" That was where Raynare had revealed her betrayal... Did he want to go back there?

 _"You can't live your life in the past, partner."_

Ddraig's words resonated right then. His uncle was right, he just had to move on like he was trying to do with Acnologia. Water under the bridge. "That sounds fun. Say, Asia, you haven't ever gone flying have you?"

"Flying?" She repeated, looking at Issei's two feathered wings.

"Hehehe," Issei chuckled, grabbing her tightly. "Hold on!" With that, he hurled himself into the air, snapping the wings out. In one huge stroke, he had blown leaves and debris twenty feet from them, then they shot upwards.

"AHHHH!" Asia yelped over the wind, clutching her shawl, despite the fact that it was already pressed tightly to the dragon's chest. "Issssseeeei!"

The yelling devolved into laughter when Issei craned his neck to grin at her. To anyone else, all those sharp teeth would have meant danger, but Asia knew he was teasing her. The wind whipped through the air, and Asia had an amazing view of the whole city. 'This is so cool,' she realized, giggling a little at her friend's antics. Her stomach, though, went through a loop when Issei showed off, doing some backflips and mock dives.

By the time Issei slowed down, her hair was messy and windswept, and the feeling of nausea was barely overshadowed by the thrill of it all. When he touched down on solid ground and let her go, she stumbled for a few steps before crashing down, landing on her side. "Oops."

Issei was busy laughing at her, a sort of deep rumble, and she couldn't help but join in. "I should have told you you'd get a little dizzy." After figuring that standing in a place as public as a park while a dragon was a bad idea, a blue glow quickly covered him. In seconds, he was back to the same, boring-looking brown-haired teen that Asia had met.

She smiled, sticking her tongue out. Grabbing Issei's offered hand, she puller herself back onto her feet. Only to stumble again. This time, however, Issei steadied her. "So, how'd you like it?"

"That was really fun, Issei!" Asia complimented. "I don't know if I want to go again, though."

"Yeah, I may have done too many loops," he admitted. That was the first time he'd ever had a passenger, so he went kind of overboard. For someone like Asia, the typical pride dragons, Issei included, felt didn't seem all that important. They had fun, and that was what mattered.

Asia shuffled her feet a little. "Um, Issei."

"Hmm?" He adjusted his Kuoh academy uniform, making sure nothing was out of place.

Her stomach roared loudly.

"I'm hungry."

.

Luckily, the park had tons of restaurants lining the touristy area. Back at Issei's favorite of those food joints, the one that served juicy American burgers, the two had ordered a late lunch. Though Issei had already eaten, dragons could shove down a ton of food, even when they didn't technically have to eat at all. He could survive on the natural disorder of the world, but what fun was that when he could eat actual food? When the waitress passed each of them their greasy hamburger, he grinned and eagerly took a bite.

Asia however, stared blankly at it.

"What's wrong?"

She blushed furiously. "I've never eaten one of these before."

"Never? Really?" They even sold these in Fiore, and she'd never even tried one. He wasn't sure whether to be shocked or sympathetic. "Okay then, hamburger 101!" Issei chomped down on his burger. "Eash it rike thish."

"L-like that. You're sure?"

Issei swallowed, a smile on his face. "Trust me, there's no better way."

She stared at her own tray like one would approach a puzzle. "Well if that's the way you're supposed to do it..." Carefully, she slowly raised it to her lips and took a tiny bite. "Wow, this is really yummy!"

"Yeah, hamburgers are much better than the stuff dragons typically eat," he admitted. "Say, since you were going to walk around in the park anyways, what do you think about hanging out? I could show you around town."

With a nod, she replied, "that sounds fun."

He knew he had to ask at some point what was bothering her. Through her joyful and perky personality, Issei always caught glimpses of sorrow and loss. He could take a guess at the culprit, but he wasn't going to ruin the mood. No, as long as Asia was with him instead of at the church, there was no reason to broach the topic. She most certainly didn't pry into his complicated background, so he would return the favor.

.

They spent a couple hours in the arcade. On second thought, Issei knew it was because he just _had_ to beat one of their games, but at the time both were having a great time. Although the arcade had a different setup than all the games he played, he was happy to find that his useless obsession that he wasted time on at home impressed Asia. He was even able to win her a cute stuffed animal! Surprisingly, Asia wasn't bad at video games at all, despite the fact she'd never seen them before. Unfortunately, they didn't much else, since they only had the afternoon.

Now, after that, they were finishing that walk through the park while Issei was telling her about his school. "There are these two complete pervs, right, that keep peeking in on the kendo club."

"That doesn't sound very nice," Asia commented.

Issei nodded sagely. "Nope, they're a bit weird. Anyways, the two club leaders, Murayama and Katase, always get really mad. It takes like ten minutes of arguing with them just to keep those weirdos out of the nurse's office, and by then, they're gone." He wasn't a huge fan of constantly watching the two perverts get beat up, so he tried to help them out in the hopes that they'd take a hint and try to be more respectful.

"Wow, it must be interesting to go to such a lively school."

"Trust me, that's not the most lively part of it. The school's basically run by devils, everyone on the student council is one. Oh, don't worry. I know you're a member of the church and all, but these guys don't run around stealing souls and what not. They're decent for the most part."

Asia didn't seem surprised. "I know. I met one of them the other day... She didn't seem bad..." There it was again, that melancholy undertone.

"The one you saved was Koneko-chan, and she's very grateful." If grateful meant she actually said something kind, then yes, she was grateful. "I was worried when I heard about you from her and Rias. That was why I had to check up on you."

"So that's how you knew," Asia said. "Well, I'm glad you found me! I had a fun time today." She smiled, squeezing the stuffed animal Issei's won for her.

He couldn't help but remember Raynare's haughty smirk. _"See, Issei-kun, this date wasn't so bad after all." '_ Stupid bird,' he taunted inwardly. 'I didn't need a date or a club to enjoy myself.'

"Yeah, I haven't had that much fun in a long time." Not since his childhood, when the definition of the word was warped and twisted to mean something it never should. "I'm not going to let you go back to the church. We have a spare bedroom at my house you can stay in."

Asia seemed a little flustered at the straightforward command. "I can't," she sighed, her bright green eyes gazing off into the distance. "Really, I would, but I owe Raynare-sama my life..."

She sat down on a bench overlooking a small pond, as if she suddenly lost the strength to keep on standing.

Did he hear that right? "Raynare... sama?"

The nun confirmed it with a downcast nod. "When I was a baby, I was abandoned by my real parents." She launched into the tale of her life. After being left in front of the church, she was taken in by some kind nuns who raised her. One day, when she was eight, a sick puppy had wandered in. Desperately, she prayed to God to save it, and there was a miracle. She had discovered her ability to heal then, and she was treated at a saint for taking care of men and women that would visit from around the world for her power.

"The idea that I could help so many people made me so happy," she reminisced. "I finally felt like I had a purpose."

But it wasn't meant to be. She had come across an injured man and healed him. Only, he wasn't a man, but a devil, so she was cast out of the church and shunned for her wicked power. They called her a witch and a heretic and never let her back into the house of God.

"So," Issei summarized, "Raynare found you?"

"Yes, she saved me from a lonely and hopeless life... but I'll never forget who I am. I say my prayers and try my best to live a good life. They do such horrible things, and I know the suffering must be a test of my faith." She looked wistfully off past the reflective pond. "If I can overcome these trials, I know that some day my hopes and dreams will come true."

"What are your dreams?"

"To make lifelong friends and to get to know them very well. To do lots of cool things, and to be able to have fun together. It's kind of silly." Her warm smile returned. "Like when we went flying. It was so much fun..."

So, her ideals were like Gildarts' then? "Raynare won't help you reach those dreams. She'll use you then throw you away like she tried with me." He owed Asia that story at least. "When I first came to Kuoh with my Uncle, I had never really lived in the human world before. Dragons don't manipulate or trick, so when I met Raynare and she claimed she just wanted to get to know me, I believed her. After I refused her offer to join her faction, she tried to kill me."

Asia seemed startled by that, even though she probably already knew that Raynare could kill. Issei decided that he'd said enough about that. "I'm your friend, right?"

"Absolutely!"

He faced her, determination written in every part of his features. "Then I won't let you go back to the fallen angels and that asshole exorcist. They don't deserve to be near someone as pure as you. If they touch you... I'll kill them."

"But that's not right Issei," Asia replied weakly. She knew Issei wouldn't go out of his way to do anything 'evil,' but Issei's proclamation was still a little haunting.

Someone was laughing, a feminine, sardonic sound. "How ironic."

"Raynare!" Issei growled. It couldn't be? Why did this worthless bird have to ruin such a nice afternoon!?

She was standing over the water, the pointed tip of her toe barely making contact, her wings keeping her in the air. Her arms were crossed, and that cocky air of her's was just as bad as usual.

The purple-eyed fallen angel winked. "Oh naive little Issei-kun, if you were to kill us, then we'd be the same." Amused by her own joke, the laughter grew louder, and Issei's scowl deepened.

He stepped protectively in front of his maiden. "I won't let you put your filthy hands on Asia!"

Asia peeked around from Issei's side. "I wan't no part of the evil you and the other angels are up to."

"Hah, you're just as dumb as ever, dragon." She glided over, causing small ripples through the otherwise peaceful water. She kept coming until she and Issei were face-to-face, less than two feet separating them. "I don't want to lay my hands on that self-righteous virgin. I'd rather lay them on you, Issei-kun."

With that devilish chuckle, she reached a hand towards his cheek. 'What the hell?' Issei wondered, confused and unsure of himself. He wouldn't give up any ground, though, and there was no way he'd ever let that fallen bitch get past him. Raynare pursed her lips, going in for a kiss, but Issei was too shocked to move. Nothing ever made sense.

Right before their lips made contact, Raynare brushed his cheek, sending a strange tingle through his body. Instead of the kiss he was expecting, she leaned towards his ear. "You should have killed me when you had the chance." He shivered at her tone as rage quickly filled him.

He couldn't let her get past him. Angrily, he shot out a hand to block her, but it hit an invisible wall. He banged at the air again, feeling a sharp pain in his knuckles. "What did you do to me!?" He roared, gathering his magic in his hands and trying another punch. Blue covered Issei, and the resulting _bang_ of energy obscured him from view, but it stayed within a rectangular box. When everything cleared nothing had happened; he was still trapped.

"I do love watching strong men struggle!" Raynare laughed maniacally. "Do you feel trapped, hopeless, Issei-kun? Well, it has to do with that paper I placed on your cheek. It's a gift from a friend, and no matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to break out of a Mime Box." She placed a hand on the invisible wall in front of Issei. Her face seemed just close enough to punch, but his attempt was only met with a sore hand and more laughter. "Oh please, the only dragon this couldn't contain is a dragon king, and I've never heard of a dragon king named Issei Hyoudou!"

"You bastard! I swear if you touch Asia-"

"You'll what?' She interrupted. "Die on me? This barrier drains your energy until you wither away to nothing, so I doubt that." The blond girl yelped, fearful for her friend.

"Oh," Raynare grinned, putting her hands on her hips as she stood in front of Asia, "don't think you won't be joining him. As soon as I rip your sacred gear out, you'll be able to join your little dragon boyfriend in death."

Asia, surprisingly, didn't cower in the face of that statement. "I knew it. I knew you were only interested in me for my power."

"Hah, did you really think I cared for you?" Her wicked laughter returned. "You're a waste of Twilight Healing's potential!"

The nun's lips quivered, but she was determined not to show that weakness in front of Raynare. "I-I won't let you have it." She was desperate, Raynare could tell.

Just as Asia pushed off to escape, she was grabbed tightly by the arm. Raynare effortlessly had her hand in a tight grip. "Poor Issei-kun gets to think about how he let his only friend down while she screams in pain."

"Stop it Raynare!" He growled, reaching to his cheek to tear off the paper the fallen had stuck to it. Nothing happened, minus the fallen getting a good kick out of it.

Asia struggled, trying to pull herself free of Raynare, but the fallen had inhuman strength, and Asia was only a young nun. She knew she had no chance, not without Issei's help. Accepting her fate, she pleaded, "let Issei go... I'll do whatever you want."

"Are you kidding me!?" Issei yelled. "I'd rather die than see you give in!"

Raynare rubbed the nun's head in some twisted form of affection. "Don't worry, I wouldn't have freed him anyway. He'd screw everything up. Consider this payback for what happened on our date."

'Payback?' He thought. "Payback! You bitch!"

"Hahahaha, oh I know how you must feel. Did the big, strong dragon find himself outwitted by a pathetic little fallen angel?" She giggled, pulling Asia further away from him. "I'll leave you to it, then."

"I'm not going with you!" Asia protested, trying to break free as Raynare enveloped herself and the blond with her midnight-black wings.

She smirked triumphantly as a magic circle appeared under them. "You don't have a choice. Bye now, Issei-kun."

A flash of light and a teleport later, he was alone and trapped, his life force slowly being drained.

.

There was enough space for him to sit down and turn his head upwards at the sunset. He couldn't help but be reminded of the irony that she had tried to kill him in almost this exact place over a week ago, and now she was finally about to succeed. His hours worth of efforts, tirelessly slamming into the same place in the barrier, had so far yielded him only a small crack. Despite that he hadn't made much progress, it turned out that the drain on his magic was minimal at best, and it would take days to kill a dragon like him. Ddraig was only gone for today, and there was no doubt he could easily find Issei and shatter the Mime Box like glass.

But he just didn't have the time.

Asia's life was in danger, and he wasn't strong enough to break through this impossibly solid wall. What made his blood boil was that no one had actually defeated him, and this wasn't even Raynare's own magic! Where was the honor in that!? Why was the world so cruel and _stupid_ , he wondered. All he could do now, was sit here and remember.

 _Issei ran into the man's room as soon as the doctors said he was in a stable condition."Gildarts!" His stubs, remnants of the limbs Acnologia chopped off, were covered in wrapped linens, and the proud mage seemed awfully out of place laying helpless in a bed. The room was stock full of strange instruments, each attached to Gildarts' body in various places. Every now and then, he'd hear a beep from one of the monitors. It was his fault that the redhead was reduced to such an existence._

 _"Oh, it's you," the Fairy Tail ace replied, acknowledging Issei with a grin. "I would've been a goner there, if it wasn't for you and that other guy."_

 _The teen's eyes were watery, but he knew that tears weren't going to fall. "I'm so sorry! I didn't want to-"_

 _"Kid, it's nothing. Don't worry about something like that." With his one working hand, he ruffled the teen's brown hair, similar to how he found himself treating Natsu._

 _The idea that Gildarts could just say that made Issei furious._ _"I'm a monster, Gildarts... You were better than them, you didn't deserve to die, but I was still going to kill you."_ _He gazed towards the ground, unable to look the mage in the face._

 _When laughter filled the room, his head shot back up and his eyes grew wide. "Issei, you're anything but a monster. You only tried to do what you had to in order to appease your dad."_

 _"My dad?" Though he got the gist of it, he wasn't entirely sure what Gildarts meant._

 _"You care for him, don't you?" Although the young dragon didn't answer, the mage had learned everything he needed to know. "I know he doesn't seem like the caring type, but he told you to do that to help you, as weird as that sounds."_

 _"Help me?" When Acnologia had taught him dragonslayer magic, that was help. When Acnologia aided him in defeating his first dragon, that was help. When Acnologia had first found him on that mountain, that was definitely help. However, this was anything but help. "But I didn't want to kill you!"_

 _"I know," the mage assured. "He may be a heartless monster to me, but he wants the best for you. In his own way." When Issei didn't seem too convinced, the mage sighed, knowing he'd have to explain the concept further. "I told you earlier that you'd do anything to protect the people you care for, and you are someone that he'd go to great lengths to protect."_

 _"He flew away..."_

 _"That he did. If he were here, though, would he let you die?"_

 _"Well, no, I guess not."_

 _The mage grinned. "Well then, there you go. You're that dragon's loved one, someone he wants to protect. Probably more than he cares about the fate of the world."_

 _Issei didn't seem all so gloomy anymore. "You think so?"_

 _"Yep, kid. I had kind of a harsh father too, never really saw eye to eye. Took me a while to get that he saw things differently. Eventually, you'll find someone you feel an obligation towards, someone you won't stand to see sad or injured."_

 _"What I do then?"_

 _He relaxed, placing his remaining hand behind his head. "That's easy, you gotta do whatever it takes, regardless of the consequences."_

'Regardless of the consequences?' He didn't fully understand then, but now it was a far simpler situation. As retribution for taking Asia, he was going to save her and put all those assholes in their place. If he had to, he'd kill Raynare, but his first priority was Asia, and he couldn't hold anything back. Consequences be damned, he was going to break out of this wretched box.

He was out of options, and he knew he'd already wasted too much time fruitlessly pounding on the wall. Still, there was an ace in the hole, something up his sleeve that he hadn't used for two years. Ddraig had forbidden it, but the heavenly dragon wasn't here to stop him from saving Asia.

"Chaos Dragonslayer Forbidden Technique," he muttered aloud, gathering up his energy. As he felt more and more in tune with the magic flowing through his body, he pushed it to the surface.

The voices began, whispering in his ear. _"It's starting."_ They were unique to him; Acnologia had never had problems like this.

 _"Different, but the same." "It is always the same."_

While he was once covered with blue tattoos, new identical ones were etching themselves across his entire body, leaving nothing uncovered. His skin took on an unearthly glow.

 _"The one the world seeks." "The one the world rejects."_

Most of his body was now radiating the blue aura of his energy, filling the entire inside of the barrier. Rocks cracked, bursting from the ground and vaporizing.

 _"Has always been power." "Has always been love."_

The voices, he didn't know what they meant. Soon, though, he wouldn't care, not if the chaos consumes him. At 90% of his potential released, the worst physical injury he could suffer from it was exhaustion, but there were things worse than physical damage. Only close to 100% was life-threatening, yet there was always one big danger.

He could still lose himself.

 _"Every time they chose the path of destruction."_

His now sky blue eyes snapped open. **"Aura Burst!"** With that proclaiming roar, his body pulsed with magic, covering his entire body in a azure cloak before dissolving back into his skin, leaving those newly created markings all over. Very few other mages could release all of their held potential at once, and magic as potent as Issei's made the repercussions severe.

'Did she really think she could stop me with _borrowed_ magic?' While Issei could obtain a risky power boost, Raynare stooped as low as to contain him with another's barrier. That was pathetic, weak.

He gathered all of his energy into his hand, changing his arm into that of a dragon's. The light was so intense that the entire box was shrouded by it. Pointing his claws at the barrier, he declared, "Chaos Dragon King's Lance!"

He jabbed forward. On contact with the invisible wall, cracks formed. As he pumped in more and more magic, the cracks spiderwebbed across the barrier, until... _Crash!_ It shattered, disintegrated into little bits. The attack wasn't over, though, and the residual energy pulsed, exploding outwards and engulfing a twenty meter radius. Afterwards, Issei was left at the bottom of a crater, completely free and only panting slightly.

Another time, he'd have been proud that he didn't use all of his aura in that one attack, but his focus lied on something else. Without hesitation, he went into his hybrid state.

He was going to save Asia, no matter what.

.

AN: So, yeah, this took a while. I actually have most of chapter 8 written, and I just needed to do this and 7. Basically, he's going to take out his rage on the poor old church, and it's going to be epic.

Please, before you comment on Issei being weak or easily manipulated, understand that he was introduced to fighting and the world in general as strength = win. As he learns that isn't always true, you'll see him use clever tactics and figure out ticks far more often. That's the point of character growth, people.

Also, Juggernaut Drive voices. More on that next chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: I'm working on 3 separate stories, but I do have a poll on my profile if you want to make this one the priority.

So, here's the continuation where we see Issei finally let out all that pent-up rage... Kind of gory, but this _is_ M for a reason.

.

Chapter 7: Rage of the Dragon

Energy flowed through Issei, pouring off him in waves. The power pulsing through his body made him let out a small growl of both anticipation and anger. After using Aura Burst, holding this much of his draconic magic was dangerous yet empowering. If he wanted to, he felt like he could walk up to the leader of the fallen angels and blow him to pieces solely for being responsible for the woman that ruined him. 'Tch, fallen angels...' Raynare. The name was distasteful now, and the mere thought of the sly, tricky fallen made him let out a deeper growl of pure hatred.

'She will die,' he assured himself. For hurting both Asia and him, she would be erased from this world and all others. 'She doesn't deserve life, not like Gildarts did.'

Though it was dark outside and Issei's scales were pitch black, it was easy to make out the imposing form of the eight foot and some dragon. The flowing blue tattoos seemed alive, like a river across his body, and the added lines only served to make him more prominent in the darkness. He was a beacon of visible power, but it wasn't like he cared. Stealth was for lesser beings, he was always told.

The church stood in front of him, and he couldn't waste any time contemplating: Asia was in danger. He burst through the large doors. As a dragon far larger than any human, he found their height to be laughable, as though the tried to be grand and came up short. That seemed to be a theme with these fallen angels, the arrogance mixed with obvious weakness. Issei didn't understand it.

A voice came to him, this time his father's. _"Arrogance in lesser beings? Tch, if you're strong, prove it."_

His eyes cut through the darkness like a knife, his sharp gaze scanning every inch of the room. Typically, he'd have some vision problems, but the energy forced to the surface had turned his eyes a light shade of blue, enhancing his sight to perhaps that of a devil. He could easily see the pews, the alter, and all the artwork, no part of the room escaping him. Not even the white-haired man in garb resembling that of a priest. Empty, blazing blue eyes locked with the man's red ones.

"Huuuh!?" He exclaimed, stepping into the aisle from the pew he was hidden behind. "The fucking hell man! That slut said she took care of you, that lying bitch!"

 **"You..."** Issei's unnatural voice thrummed with power and sent shivers down the man's spine, but that only excited the latter more. **"You're the stray exorcist, Freed Sellzen. The one who hurt Koneko-chan."**

Despite the threatening tone, said exorcist cackled madly. "You mean to say you're a friend of that flat-chested, shitty devil I shot?" He brought a gun and sword hilt from his pocket, bringing the former in front of his face. "I must be the luckiest man alive! Now's my chance to kill a dumbass, devilish dragon! Women love dragon slayers, and I love killing things! It's a win win." He grinned like an insane maniac, running his tongue over his gun.

 **"Disgusting."** Issei started walking forward, keeping his pace casual, as if there wasn't about to be a fight. He stretched his wings out over the pews, their enormous size making his already large figure more intimidating.

Freed cackled madly. "My holy gun of awesome is going to blow a hole through those colorful draggy wings!" He squeezed the trigger repeatedly, a hail blazing yellow bullets cascading towards the dragon. Each impact made a sizzle, then smoke rose from the points of contact. "What!? You fucking bastard, that did nothing!"

 **"I'm not a devil, you idiot."** He was now only a few meters from the exorcist, arms crossed. **"How can someone like you follow the same god as Asia?"**

"Hahahahaha! You really think I care about that lazy motherfucker in shitty-ass heaven? For all I know, that bastard's probably dead. I'm only an exorcist for the delicious fun of shoving my holy sword into devils!" He clicked a button on the hilt and holy light formed in the shape of a sword.

The dragon laughed, the sound more akin to a throaty rumble, a terrifying characteristic of his species. Even Freed backed off a little, cursing. Clearly, Issei didn't think Freed was going to be able to harm him any more with the sword than with the bullets. That was a good assumption, considering that the weapons were rather ineffective on supernatural beings that weren't devils.

The exorcist sobered up, realizing he was way outmatched. "Dammit. This isn't over, dragon!"

 **"Running away,"** Issei muttered as the exorcist started jumping on furniture until he reached the window. 'He won't escape from what he's done...' The dragon glared, opening his maw. He roared, firing a beam of light at the exorcist, who tried in vain to dodge. The magic clipped his leg and forced him to fall down onto window sill, howling in pain as blood coated his mangled limb.

"Fucking monster!" The priest screeched, pulling something out of his pocket. As Issei readied the finishing blow, the exorcist threw something at him. Light exploded out, blinding Issei and obscuring the entire church.

When everything died down, the priest had disappeared.

 _"Such cowardice."_

Issei wasn't concerned, however. Freed was worse than trash, not even worth hunting down to kill. Instead, he continued his steady march towards Asia, tracking her scent into a hidden staircase. He didn't bother with opening it, smashing through the floor effortlessly. Stairs descended into a large basement, no doubt the base for the fallen angels' operations.

"Gaaahhhhhh!" Screaming?

There she was! He found Asia, but she was wailing in pain, writhing from her position chained to a cross. Green lines covered the cross behind her, and Raynare was standing next to her, grinning eagerly. The rest of the room was filled with robed exorcists. None seemed as powerful as Freed, and that meant they were barely as strong as an average human. In addition, there were three more characters. A man in a grey trench coat and hat, a blond woman in a schoolgirl outfit, and a blue-haired woman in a violet shirt and miniskirt. More fallen angels? He would eagerly eliminate their kind for the times they had screwed with his life.

"Issei!" Raynare yelled, horror in her eyes. "No, this isn't possible! Stop him, now!" She panicked, pointing at him.

On her whim, all of the exorcists charged, making Issei sigh. Their stupidity and blind obedience would kill them. He spread his wings and held them out until they were glowing vibrantly with a coating of energy. With a roar, he beat them once and caused a gale, his magic empowering the wind and sending the humans flying back. The cutting force of the wind sliced off body parts and blasted the exorcists with enormous force. Chaos Dragon's Wingbeat was already one of his favorite attacks, and Aura Burst made it ten times more lethal, even when the almost the same amount of energy was used. As each of the exorcists crashed down from the sky, their bodies smashed into the ground in puddles of blood and guts. Mangled corpses and cries of terror now littered the church's basement.

A few survived, maybe, but Issei couldn't make himself care in the slightest. The smell of fresh blood filled his nostrils, and he let out a frightening grin. Maybe it was his magic adding to the insanity, maybe he was finally glad he didn't have to hold back his rage. **"Weaklings.** **"**

Raynare's mouth was hanging open. Issei wasn't supposed to be this powerful, there was no way that this could have happened. Not only did he kill all of her human subordinates in one half-assed attack, he had broken out of the Mime Box, something she was assured would contain a dragon of practically any caliber. Issei wasn't a dragon king, so what the hell was he!?

Issei arrived at the steps before the alter, refusing to stop for any reason. He didn't even bother walking around the blood or dead bodies, crushing them under him instead.

Raynare wasn't about to give up yet. All she had to do was get Asia's sacred gear, and she was sure she could find some way to escape. "Buy me some time, you three."

The tall woman with blue hair looked back with pure terror in her eyes. "Fuck no!" As she prepared to run away past, a large hand grabbed her from behind.

The dragon looked at the woman he gripped tightly, able to smell the stench of her cowardice and fear. He wrinkled his nose and readied a punch with the other hand, covering it with magic. The moment his fist made contact with her chest, she exploded, nothing remaining of her whatsoever. Her body was completely overwhelmed by Issei's power. Warm blood spattered his face, making him let out a short growl of discontent.

"K-Karlawarner!" The man exclaimed, throwing a blue light spear at him. All that did was bounce off uselessly, drawing Issei's haunting blue eyes to his form.

 **"Pathetic vermin."** As worthless as talking to people like this was, he still did it anyway. Screw what Acnologia thought of it.

He reached his hand around the man's throat, crushing his windpipe instantly and tossing him to the side. His limp body bounced a couple of times before landing in a mangled heap. The final of Raynare's three extra fallen was shaking, a yellow light spear slipping from her grip. The dragon eyes her carefully. She didn't seem to be like the others, and wasn't as purely evil. But she had gone along with the plan, and was the reason Asia was dying, so she too had to suffer that fate. Nothing could stop him in his bloodlust, not as he stabbed his clawed hand right through the woman's heart, coating his hand in red.

He let the body fall to the floor with a thud.

"It's too late." Despite her confident words, Raynare was backing up. "A-Asia's dead."

She was? No, no, he had come to save her from these worthless weaklings! How could she have died? Her eyes, though, they had lost their light, and her body was slumped forward, barely supported by the chains tying her to the cross. Raynare, though, was holding the two rings of Asia's twilight healing.

He understood now. On their date, Issei had called himself pathetic for being so easily deceived, but that couldn't be further than true. _She_ was pathetic, lower than anything else in this world. In fact, she was so weak that she had to manipulate him and Asia just to gain a single power, one that didn't belong to her in the first place.

Issei snarled. In this previously timid guy, all Raynare could see now was his pure, unadulterated rage. It made her legs wobbly, and the weight of Twilight Healing in her hands was suddenly massive. She almost slipped in her attempt to step backwards, to get away from him. No, there was a way out of here. There was a way that the dragon might spare her.

Her breathing irregular, she scrambled back towards the dying blond. If Asia had her sacred gear back, she would be fine right? Nervous confidence made her sweat as she placed the rings back on Asia's chest. There was a feeble green glow before the sacred gear was reabsorbed.

The nun gasped, her eyes seeming a little more alive, but she was hardly cured.

"I-is that you... Issei?"

"Asia?" For a moment, his voice was back to that of a normal teenager. With his sharp claws, he cut her restraints, and her dying body tumbled into his arms.

She smiled weakly. "I'm so glad I got to meet someone like you, Issei." How could she sound so weak after Raynare gave her the sacred gear back?

"But I don't deserve your kindness..." He had been more focused on killing all those who had harmed her than actually saving her. If he ignored everyone else and gone directly to her, he might have been able to stop the ritual in time. That wasn't to mention his past.

"No." His eyes went wide. "You saved me from my loneliness. I would have loved to have grown up in this country, to have gotten to know you better."

"Y-you're not going to die!" His eyes were watery, a couple tears soaking their way down his cheek. "You still have your sacred gear. Please, I can still save you. Even if I have to sacrifice myself, I can..."

Asia shook her head. "Keep on living. For me." She rubbed his tears away with a hand before her beautiful eyes closed and her arm hung limply at her side.

She couldn't be dead. No! How could she die now! 'Asia, there is so much I still wanted to do. Why'd you go now, Asia? Why couldn't you stay with me?'

That bitch! " **Raynare!"**

 _"You are a god compared to them."_

The fallen angel, caught trying to sneak away during the scene was startled by the roaring proclamation. Issei had a look of pure hatred in those beady light blue eyes. **"I'll show you then..."** That pathetic wench, thinking she could have her way with a dragon and someone he was protecting. **"A sliver of my true power."**

Issei's magic power flared enormously, obliterating everything within ten feet, the residual power radiating off his body was shaking the church. Rocks fell from the ceiling, covering the only way out, and debris from the collapsing structure undoubtedly killed any of the surviving exorcists. Through it all, though, Asia's slack body was unharmed by any of it. More and more, the structure shook, Issei's magic energy permeating the room like a dense fog. Rubble blocked all the exits, and Raynare was terrified.

She had never known what death felt like, but here it was, in the form of unholy retribution. There was no escape, and Issei only seemed to be working himself further and further into a frenzy. "P-please! I'll be your servant, I'll follow your every command. Issei, please, I never wanted to hurt you. Your date was actually fun, and I'd be happy pledging myself to you for eternity!"

Issei leaned down until they were face to face. **"LIES!"** It was punctuated with a roar.

 _"Erase everything that hurts."_

His body glowed with an unearthly navy energy, his height tripling in seconds. In one hand he held Asia, but he grabbed Raynare in the other as he grew enormous, to the true height of a dragon. Raynare screamed and thrashed as his claws tightly gripped her wings, holding her in place as she struggled.

Finally, his size and magic were too immense for the church to contain, and the entire building collapsed into a heap of rubble, the dust barely reaching Issei's knees. At 35 meters in height with a thick, axe-tipped tail that could slice buildings in half, Issei now appeared as the true, epic definition of a dragon. His snout, more angular than his father's round one, held a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth, each likely as large as a person. His garb in this form was like Tannin's, and his build was like a bipedal Acnologia, but that was where the similarities ended. Though his colors matched his father perfectly, Aura Burst had given him twice the amount of designs, leaving his body better defined as blue with black markings. His chest, like his father's, was a dull grey and with densely packed muscle.

 **"You're vile, Raynare,"** Issei scowled, placing Asia's body away from the two of them. Somehow, he had managed to keep a hold on both of them, and he wasn't going to let Asia's body get stuck in that collapsed church. She deserved more than that. **"How weak you must be to steal what belongs to someone else... Learn how different we are."**

He held Raynare by pinching her body with two claws, not caring that he was drawing blood. The crimson liquid flowed down her body, dripping all the way down to the ground. Raynare, completely defeated, didn't even make an attempt to fly away. Issei'd already crushed her wing anyway, so she was no more than a helpless bird, staring death in the face. Then, the dragon took an enormous breath, his chest puffing out as the air was sucked into his maw like a vacuum. For almost thirty these seconds, Issei drew in the latent magic energy and disorder of the word, feeling it empower him, filling his reservoirs beyond capacity.

 **"Die now,"** he commanded.

'Chaos Dragon's Godly Roar.' There was a moment where all Raynare could focus on the was immense light beyond Issei's open maw. There was no time to consider the fact that he had released that energy, and the effects were instantaneous. The fallen angel knew death was coming, but she couldn't feel it creep up, nor did she experience a second of pain.

All she felt was hopeless as a blinding, brilliant light bathed her in its warm glow. **"GRRROOOOAAAAHHHHH!"** She closed her eyes and accepted her fate while Issei's insanely loud roar tore through the entire town.

 _DOOON!_ The beam impacted the ground and radiated outwards, ripping up the earth with little effort. It tore deeper, destroying more and more, until the church and Raynare were both no more than a vaporized bunch of particles. Soon, not even the dust of the surrounding grounds remained. Everything was gone, eradicated from existence. All but a single blond girl, whose body was resting peacefully in his other hand, protected by the resilient body of the giant dragon.

After ten seconds, the roar finally died down, leaving Issei unsteady with his lack of power. Aura Burst had finally begun to take its physical toll, the extra lines receding until he was left with the default markings. His eyes lost their mystical blue fire, a plain white color returning. As his steadiness faltered, his wings and tail tried desperately to balance him, and his mind focused entirely on keeping him upright.

Soon, though, his eyes closed, and his exhaustion was taking over. Releasing all of his magic in order to obtain a level that defied logic held a tragic price. He wouldn't die, but he felt so weak at that moment. So helpless, despite being in his full-dragon form. Carefully, he lay himself and Asia on the ground, keeping her body in front of his eye as he blinked repeatedly.

'I wish someone could have saved you.'

Wait, wish!

Rias was a devil, she could save Asia!

'Please, Buchou, I know I haven't been nice to you recently. I lost myself just now... but I need Asia. I don't want to turn evil, Rias, so please, hear my wish and save her!' To add to that, he sent the last of his unused magic as a message.

He tried to say it out loud, but all he managed was a tired groan.

Hopefully, she would have noticed the destruction and come anyway. He was sure she'd help him. She had to because she was his friend.

As his eyes closed to take a long rest, he spotted a red magic circle. 'Thank you, Buchou.' With a small smile on his face, he drifted into unconsciousness.

.

Elsewhere, in the far reaches of the underworld, a massive black dragon rested atop a mountain. Something, perhaps a shift in the wind, roused the great beast. A pearly white eye opened, gazing off into the distance. The magic he had felt was unforgettable. By now, though, it had dimmed and faded, undetectable from the great distance. 'So, you have stopped hiding from yourself,' the dragon observed.

"Is something the matter, Lord Acnologia?"

He turned his intimidating gaze to the small yellow dragon, whose squeaky, petulant voice had interrupted his thoughts. "It was nothing."

.

 _The pitter patter of rain drowned out all sounds. All but the roaring, intermittent clap of thunder. Clouds obscured as far as the eye could see, lit up by streaks of lightning flashing towards the ground. On the ground, Issei lay sprawled out in full dragon form, covered in dirt and blood. For all of the rain washing the red liquid off his scales, he still felt dirty and disgusting._

 _A shadow appeared behind the clouds, the figure illuminated by the lightning. With a loud roar, the figure broke through the clouds. The round snout and four rear-facing plate-like horns on the dragon's head easily distinguished it._

 _"Father?" Issei tried to ask, but no sound came out._

 _The behemoth landed next to him, shattering earth and shaking the ground like an earthquake. "Issei," he growled out. "You know who you are. You aren't some fool lumbering about the human world, tagging along with a bunch of weak devils."_

 _Acnologia leaned his snout closer, only feet from Issei's head. "You are my son!"_

Issei shot awake, sweat dripping from his forehead. He blinked a couple times, taking in the room and examining his hands. When did he get here? Last he remembered, he was at the church. Now, he was at home in his bedroom, resting. Then, it flooded back to him. 'Asia.' His stomach tightened in anguish, and he felt tears begin to form in his eyes. Dammit, how could he have showed up only seconds too late? It wasn't fair, not at all.

"Issei?"

No... "Asia?" He turned his head, seeing the blond standing over his bed. "Asia!" He embraced her in a hug, pulling her close.

"Ahhhhh, Issei!" She exclaimed, surprised.

Laying back down, he wiped the water from his eyes. "I thought I'd lost you. Rias reincarnated you then?"

She shook her head, smiling. "You were the one who saved me, Issei. I'm so happy you found me in time. I was really tired, but I got better in a few hours with Rias's help!"

"Oh." So all that anger he felt was for nothing? No, Raynare laid her filthy hands on something that was his, so she deserved everything she got. None of the humans or fallen angels there deserved anything less than their fate. "I must have scared you, huh?"

"Of course not, you could never scare me." Asia shook her head. "You protected me, and I'm glad. I wasn't ready to meet God yet, not as long as I had a friend." As naive as that was, it was sweet. She was able to look past all the evil in his heart, and that was why he was so protective of her. Not even Ddraig could ignore his past. "Rias-san told me what she thought happened to Raynare."

He smiled. "Don't worry, she isn't around to hurt you any more."

"Yes," Asia replied, knowing the implications. While it was hard for her to accept, she understood why Issei did it. Perhaps there were those too far gone for forgiveness? "Rias-san asked me if I'd like to become a devil."

"She did what!?" Issei growled, trying to sit up.

"Ahhh, please don't get up yet," she insisted, pushing him back down. "You're still recovering. I'm sorry, my sacred gear is more suited to healing physical wounds."

Issei sighed, hating how weak he felt at the moment. He was healthy enough to stand up, that's for sure, but not by much. He needed another day probably. "Why did Rias ask that?"

Asia was quick to reassure him. "It's okay, I wasn't offended by the offer. She seems nice for a devil." Right, in Asia's past, she had healed a devil. Is that why she was bothering to consider the offer, even though it obviously brought up bad memories? "I've already fallen far enough..."

Only then did Issei realize something he had to come to terms with. Asia wasn't _his_. Though he may think of her as a little sister, she had the right to do whatever she wanted. Who was he to deny her? Friends supported each other, Gildarts had told him. Also on the plus side, Rias could give Asia some measure of safety, something he probably couldn't provide, no matter how much he thought so. Dragons were said to draw attention from both the best and worst of people. Enough so that even Ddraig was hesitant about revealing himself. "If that is what you want. But there's no coming back from a decision like that."

Asia looked down. "I know. It gives me a place to belong again. It's nice being your friend and I'm glad I met you, but I'm not a dragon."

"As long as it's your decision, I'll make sure Rias treats you properly. You'll never have to worry about the church or anyone taking advantage of your healing then." He gave her a weak thumbs up, optimistic about the future.

"Thank you, Issei," she smiled, giving him another hug.

He could hear footsteps and conversation from outside the room. He recognized the two voices immediately as Ddraig and Rias. Oh man, there was no way his uncle was going to be happy. None at all. Ddraig hated the existence of Aura Burst and all magics related to it, though his reasons why puzzled Issei. At least Rias would probably be glad he was alright. The door swung open.

"Issei!" Rias exclaimed.

"Partner," Ddraig said dangerously, letting the teen know just how pissed he was.

"Are you okay, Ise?" Rias questioned, taking a seat on his bed near the standing Asia. "Asia told me what happened with the Mime Box, and how you rescued her." Ddraig remained silent as the devil talked.

Issei glanced away from them. "I destroyed them all." He was still ambivalent about that fact. While a part of him wished he'd been more merciful, he wasn't raised to show any weakness. Besides, it wasn't like they were good people with many redeeming qualities.

"I know. When I arrived, I saw you laying over the rubble. If I might add, your dragon form is every bit as impressive as I expected."

Damn, she must have known he had a soft spot for praise like that. "Hehe, thanks. You asked Asia if she wanted to be a devil?"

Rias crossed her arms. "You care for her a great deal, don't you?" Was she jealous? "I have the right to ask her that. As a sister, she lost everything, and I was offering a new lease on life."

"As long as it's her decision," Issei stated, a warning in the undertone.

Ddraig coughed. "This is touching, but I need a few words with Issei. In private." He must really have been upset to use Issei's name rather than calling him 'partner.'

"Of course Red-san," Rias deferred, standing up and exiting.

Asia waved. "See you soon, Issei!"

The door shut behind them.

"The hell were you thinking!?" Ddraig growled, irate.

Issei shuddered. His uncle was a force to be reckoned with when angered, which was honestly an extremely rare occasion. "I-I was trapped in a barrier that I couldn't break through. I hit it for hours and nothing happened!"

"So you do what? Use _that_ move."

"Well, it was draining my magic, so I had to do something." He'd have died eventually otherwise.

The Welsh Dragon crossed his arms, "You know as well as I do that it would take a day or two to drain your stored ethernano." It was much harder for him to get ethernano poisoning than a typical mage. Part of it was because his body had been altered to better accept ethernano in the first place, while the other was due to being made a dragon.

"I had to save Asia."

The red dragon slammed a fist on the bed then sighed. "I know you want to care for someone, I get it. Nearly driving yourself mad in the process isn't how you do it."

"But I'm fine," Issei protested.

"There's a reason it was forbidden, partner. You aren't like the dragons in this world, your life force is based directly on your magic." Dragons here tended to have magic independent of their strength and innate power. In Earthland, however, magic _was_ a dragon's power, minus physical strength. That went doubly so for a mage, and he was both. "If you use all of that, you die."

Issei didn't get it. "I only used 90%!" He was certain that 10% of his residual magic was more than enough to live on, even if it caused a day of exhaustion.

Ddraig looked at him seriously. "Issei," the teen looked up, "that isn't all. I was trapped inside the Boosted Gear for a long time, remember?" He nodded, unwilling to point out that he already knew that. He didn't want to reignite his uncle's anger. "In truth, I wasn't the only being sealed within your left arm."

"W-what do you mean?" He was just hearing about this now!

"The voices you hear. I didn't want to tell you, but they are the voices of the past predecessors that, unlike me, stayed trapped within you instead of leaving your body. Your father only purged dragon magic when he made you a dragon slayer it seems. "

Issei ran his hands through his hair. "Really?"

Ddraig sat on the foot of the bed, nodding. "Normally, the voices would make themselves known during the chant for Juggernaut Drive. But, instead of that, they choose the moment when you draw on the energy within yourself. The rage you feel when you overuse your magic, your father never had that problem. That was those sealed former Boosted Gear wielders affecting your mind. During Aura Burst, you have much more magic flowing through you."

"How can I become a dragon king without using that?"

His uncle actually laughed. "Partner, as bad as it is to say, you're more like your father than you think. There's more to life than just training and power. You're seventeen for Great Red's sake, and most dragon kings took hundreds of years to train themselves to your level."

"Yeah," Issei replied sourly. "Luckily, my father had other... _methods_." It disgusted him. He preferred not to remember what Acnologia had convinced him to do. It was unsettling, and he felt sick at what he'd done. The dragon wasn't abusive, far from it, but that didn't mean Issei appreciated how he gained power.

"Forget about what you've done, and don't worry so much about the future. Tag along with Rias and her gang and meet new people. Maybe get a mate, something I never bothered to do myself. I'm no Gildarts, but that's my advice. Take it or leave it." His tone was final, unwavering. This was a decision he wanted Issei to make now.

The teen nodded. "I get it."

"Good," the older dragon said. "Rest here. I'm going to let Rias and Asia in while I have some business to take care of." He patted his nephew's leg before standing up and striding towards the door.

"Business? You never tell me any of it," Issei complained childishly, eliciting a chuckle from Ddraig.

The Welsh Dragon stopped and turned around, letting out a small sigh. "I suppose you deserve the answer. Remember that buddy I had that provided us with the house and money? He's the one I go to see all this time, and it has to do with a particularly special gift for you." Oh, right, wasn't Ddraig planning on getting him some kind of awesome present? "The man who helped me with it, the one I've been seeing all this time is Azazel, the Governor General of the Grigori."

"Grigori!" Issei exclaimed, shocked. "But they were the ones who-"

Ddraig held up a hand. "No, they weren't. The fallen angels who were responsible for what has happened over the last few days had ignored their superior's orders." Issei wasn't convinced. "Trust me on this, you don't have the experience in this world that I do."

"Okay... if you trusted him with your secret..." His uncle was right. Ddraig was far more knowledgeable about this world, as compared with Issei's and Acnologia's upbringings in Earthland.

Ddraig seemed relieved. "I really must go. Azazel needs my help with a project."

As his uncle opened the door to leave, Issei had decided. "I'll do it. If Asia does become a member of their group, I will follow them around."

The dragon was proud. "You've grown, Issei," he said, closing the door behind him.

.

For a couple seconds, he was left alone with his thoughts. Specifically, how far he had come in the past few years. Ddraig was right, he had grown significantly. From murdering dragons left and right to fitting in with the kendo club. Now, he even had a close friend and a group of devils who respected and accepted him for who and what he was. Still, a part of him wanted to be back with his father and Ddraig, the three living together on Zonia Mountain.

"Your uncle lightened your mood," a familiar voice observed, amused. Rias was standing by his bedside with Asia, the former having a large smirk. "You're the first dragon I've gotten to know, Ise," she revealed. "It's strange to think of you as the dragon I saw yesterday when I look at you now."

Issei rubbed the back of his head. "I've spent the past couple years around humans. I guess I've a got a convincing disguise." He was a dragon, not a human. He had to remember that.

"That's one way to put it."

"Wait a second!" Issei realized something suddenly. "How did I end up back in human form?"

The devil laughed at her carelessness. "I'm sorry. Your uncle had rushed me out of the room before I got the chance to fill you in on what happened." She calmed down, beginning the recount. "When I found you and Asia, both of you were passed out but alive. The destruction you had caused was very profound, and the hill the church was set on is completely gone. Red arrived later, saying he was your uncle. He was very agitated at the time. I have to say, I'm not entirely sure how he turned you back, but he told me it was related to one of his abilities." That was strange. Could Ddraig use transfer on someone else to change the amount or type of their power? "He carried you back here, walking the entire distance." Issei hated that Ddraig was so against revealing who he was. "It was quite endearing to see how much he cared for his family member." The brown-haired teen didn't miss the undertone there.

Asia nodded. "Rias-san took me back to your house as well. Red-san treated me kindly when I woke up, and he even cooked some food."

"You let him cook!" Issei exclaimed, horrified.

The girls nodded. "It was," Rias sighed before continuing, "unfortunate."

"He's even worse than I am at making human food," the dragon muttered.

Asia frowned. "I thought it was nice of him."

"Yes, well," Issei replied, "D-" He caught himself. "Red would never turn down helping two beautiful girls in need. Especially if you helped me out." He blushed a little, but was able to shrug it off.

"Oh Ise," Rais smirked, "you never cease to amaze me." She looked off into the distance, a look of unease and doubt on her features. Issei couldn't help but wonder what would make her feel so distraught and distant that she would lose her confident air.

"Are you okay?"

She seemed startled before chuckling a bit. "I apologize for that. I've a lot to deal with myself these days and often find myself wondering how things could have been." Her amusement left her eyes. "It is nothing of importance to you." She just wished she could have been stronger, or that she was as powerful and independent as Issei. The freedom that dragons had was absolutely nothing short of incredible.

Rias almost sighed, focusing back in on the discussion at hand. "Regardless of that, Ise." He glanced towards her. "You said you wouldn't try to prevent me from reincarnating Asia as a devil?"

"Yes," the dragon replied. At least Rias and Asia told him about the offer. He would have felt blindsided otherwise, and the Gremory didn't want to anger him any more, especially after the destruction of the church. "I won't stop you."

She crossed her arms casually. "I know it must seem quite selfish of me to ask her such a thing, and I won't claim it isn't." At least she was being honest. Issei abhorred lies, doubly so because of all that had happened. "I will admit that my peerage is in desperate need of a healer, and Asia, your Twilight Healing is a top tier healing sacred gear. That isn't to say there aren't benefits for you as well, of course."

Issei thought for a couple seconds. He had already decided that he didn't hold enough claim over Asia to prevent her from making a choice like this that could so greatly impact her future. As a human nun, Asia would also have a shorter lifespan, and he would be forced to watch his first real friend wither away and die. If that happened... he shuddered to think of what he would feel. "As long as your peerage is capable of protecting her, I won't object."

"Really?" Rias replied, both stunned and pleased that Issei had relented so easily. From what she knew of the dragon, he would never let anything that was his go without a fight, and he was determined to fight till the end. "The Gremory territory in the Underworld is one of the safest places I know of. I can't promise anything, however. As devils, we will get into battles, such as that stray devil we hunted earlier. Asia would be my bishop, a support piece, so she would be relatively safe from such things."

"I-I don't mind that," Asia interjected.

"If you chose this, you'll lose your connection to God," Rias warned.

Asia shook her head, a smile on her face. "No matter what or who I am, God will be with me. Even if I cannot pray aloud, He will hear." Issei felt so guilty for letting her believe that God was still alive.

The redhead seemed impressed by her devotion. "It sounds like you have chosen."

"Yes," Asia replied with a short bow. "I accept your offer."

"You will need a place to stay."

"With me," Issei interrupted. "She stays here. I'm sure my uncle won't mind the company."

"Well then," Rias began, "It's settled."

Asia seemed flustered. She blushed a deep crimson, practically the same shade as Rias's hair. "It sounds silly, but can you allow me one last time to pray?"

The club president nodded. "Of course."

The nun wasted no time before she placed her palms together and closed her eyes. The two watched on as Asia's expression showed a sensation of pure serenity and contentment. For nearly thirty seconds, she remained in that position, hardly moving, sometimes mouthing words. After that, she murmured, "amen." She opened her eyes and grinned brightly, her pleasant cheer lighting the room. She stuck her tongue out in a silly gesture. "All done!"

Rias reached into her pocket and brought out a blood red chess piece. "This is a bishop," she began to explain. "Like chess, each of the evil piece types, bishop, pawn, knight, rook, and queen holds different abilities. The bishop will increase your magical power and grant you the other abilities of a devil." Increase their magic power? Issei would love something that did that without requiring him to become a devil. Sadly, life didn't work that way. "Could you lie down on the foot of Ise's bed? I'm sure he would like to see this."

"O-okay!" Asia replied energetically.

Rias placed the bishop over Asia's chest as the blond shut her eyes. The devil's body was surrounded by her crimson demonic power, the room feeling much smaller all the sudden.

"I, Rias Gremory, in the name of the house of Gremory, order you, Asia Argento, to be resurrected as my devil servant. May you rise again, delighted with your new life as my bishop!"

The piece glowed with an unearthly light as it sunk into Asia's body. Still, she remained peaceful throughout the ritual. Rias's body lost its powerful glow, and she returned to normal, not even curious about the outcome of the ritual. It obviously worked.

Issei quirked his head. This was all? He went through two years of hard work and violent actions to become a dragon, and all it took Asia to become a devil was a couple seconds? That was kind of lame. "How d'you feel?"

Asia opened her eyes. "Oh, is it over already?" It seemed she was expecting more as well. "I don't know..."

Rias put her signature amused look on. "You won't feel too different. In a day or so, you will notice your energy increases at night, and you will also experience pain when touching any holy object or praying. Devils also have stronger bodies than humans and the ability to fly."

"Fly?" She thought back, remembering her time with Issei.

Issei shook his head. "Devils can't fly like a dragon. It's still pretty cool though."

Asia nodded, a little let down. "I won't regret this decision Rias-san!"

.

When school kicked back up again, Asia was unveiled as the new student. She bowed politely in front of the class. "My name is Asia Argento. I'm feeling a bit like a fish out of water, but I'm excited to be here," she ended with a smile.

"Whooaaa!" The class cheered.

Matsuda pumped a fish. "Damn she's hot!"

Motohama was quick to add, "Her measurements are 24-36-35, and look at all that hair!"

Issei welcomed the positive reception, though he'd have to tell those perverts off later. 'Rias must have pulled some strings to get her in my class.'

The blond tried to stay composed in front of everyone. "Being a new town can be overwhelming, but luckily I'm staying with Issei."

"Whaaaat! Why does he get all the girls?" Matsuda raged.

"What does that bastard have that I don't!" The second member of their duo shouted.

Katase and Murayama, meanwhile, grinned. "I wonder if they're a pair?" The former wondered.

Murayama giggled quietly. "Oh, that would be adorable! I never knew Issei was so interested in blonds."

With Issei's enhanced hearing, figuring out what the two were mumbling about wasn't a challenge at all. He stood up immediately and pointed accusingly at his kendo club captains, yelling, "Dammit you two, we aren't together!"

"That means she's open?" A hopeful Matsuda asked, jumping up. "Hell yeah!"

Motohama adjusted his glasses with a grin. "Finally, a chance for us."

Issei growled under his breath as more and more of the guys declared their undying love for the new arrival. Damn, he knew none of them would get anywhere, but it was still annoying. None of them were good enough for her, and they all just liked her for her pretty looks. Whatever, it was just high school. He sighed and sat back down, placing his head in his hands.

.

Following her first day, Asia was inducted to the Occult Research Club, where she got to meet the other members. As with the typical low-class devil, Asia began her tasks by handing out flyers and leaflets to people who might summon one of the peerage. Issei tagged along more often than not, worried that there might still be fallen angels in the area who were after her. Soon, though, he realized he was being worse than Ddraig and toned it down, going back to meetings with the kendo club instead.

It was a couple days later, back in the old school building, when Rias made an announcement to Asia and Issei.

"I think you're ready for the next step."

Wait, Rias thought Asia was done handing out flyers? "Next step? Do you mean she's going to try to get a contract?"

"Yes, if that's alright with you, Asia, I was thinking you could make your big day view tonight."

Asia was still a step behind, puzzled. "A contract?"

"Ah, it seems Ise didn't explain to you how devils gain power." Rias crossed her legs, still sitting in her large clubroom chair. "Aside from training, devils can increase their ability and rise through the ranks by completing contracts. You only have to fulfill a client's wish, and you seem plenty kindhearted enough to help out."

The blond nodded. "That doesn't sound too bad."

"But what if the clients want something perverted!" Issei shot back worriedly.

Rias sighed, then the corners of her mouth twinged upwards in amusement. "Oh Ise. I have faith that Asia is capable of this, you should too. She is my servant, after all, and she is under my protection."

He couldn't help but remember the strange scene he walked in on a week ago, after the incident with Freed. "Some protection you gave Koneko-chan," Issei muttered.

The redhead fixed Issei with a rather upset glare. "Don't think you're the only one who feels that way. I won't allow anyone to harm my servants."

"I-issei, I'll do it."

"Huh, Asia?"

The blond smiled confidently. "It was up to me to choose my future, and I wanted this."

Well, if Asia wanted to prove herself so badly, who was he to argue? She was right, it was up to her. "I'm sorry, Buchou. I didn't mean that."

Rias walked over and wrapped him in her warm embrace. "I know. You're just looking out for Asia." Releasing the hug, Rias sat back down. "Now then, Asia, Akeno will help you get ready to make the jump."

"I'm sure Asia'll be fine." The two of them turned around to see Akeno waving at them. "She's packing almost as much magic power as I am." Wait, everyone was watching the previous scene? Even when Rias hugged him. He felt his face growing warm with embarrassment.

Rias smirked. "I didn't make her my bishop for nothing."

"Congrats, by the way," Kiba added, "bishop is impressive."

"So, are you ready Asia?" The girl nodded. "Okay then, remember to have fun and get a contract signed."

The former nun waved. "Bye Issei!" She said as she stepped in the magic circle and her body dissolved into red.

Though everyone else had the utmost confidence in Asia, and Issei knew she could take care of herself to some extent, he couldn't get rid of the sinking feeling in his gut.

.

Asia got the contract. Issei had breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that it was going to be tough to forget about how helpless she looked nailed on that cross. It seemed that anyone with aspirations to acquire Twilight Healing had backed off when Rias made her a bishop, which was a helpful benefit. Surely, Issei reasoned, someone out there had the same goal as Raynare and would use an innocent like Asia to achieve it. It made his blood boil, that people would try to steal another's power.

The next day at the club, he was far more accepting of Asia acting as Rias's servant rather than someone with only connections to the peerage like him. Today, while they were meeting with Rias, Issei checked to make sure that the rest of the club members weren't going to burst in and see anything.

"I'm quite proud of you Asia. You too Ise."

"Me?" What the hell did she mean by that? "I know Asia got that pact, but me?"

Rias smirked. "I can't imagine it was easy for you to let go of your maiden. Dragons are fond of them after all."

Was that really why Issei had felt so protective of her? 'I never would have thought that such a stereotype was true... but now, maybe it _is_ a thing.' He would have to ask Ddraig.

The redheaded king rolled her eyes at how thoughtful and zoned out Issei was. "Now then, Asia, since you are capable of signing a contract, you have officially graduated from handing out flyers. Normally the hassle of running around and passing them out is the job of a familiar."

"Familiar," the dragon thought aloud. In Fiore, they certainly existed, but very few mages had one. "You mean you guys have familiars here too?"

Though Rias wasn't too certain what he meant exactly, she answered affirmatively. "Most devils have one, yes, and magicians are also prone to contracting familiars."

Issei hummed. That was kind of cool. He thought he would have to hang around and protect Asia in case there was trouble, but if he found a strong familiar, then he wouldn't need to worry as much.

"That's awesome Asia! You're getting a promotion!"

"I suppose you could look at it that way," Rias said. "But first things first, let's get you a familiar."

.

AN: I decided to have Asia become a devil because she probably would choose that, given this opportunity and situation. Despite that, I wanted to show that it was her choice, and Issei had succeeded in his goal to save her. The 'holy maiden as devil' trope is too good to pass up too... I'm very sorry to those of you who didn't want Asia to be a devil. Honestly, it doesn't change anything about Issei's relationship with her. Rias wouldn't screw with her out of fear of pissing him off.

A lot of this chapter following Raynare's death was just explanation, resolved conflicts, and introduction for next chapter. I'm excited to show you guys what I've got planned.

Also, another important point. I won't have a poll on this, so review on your opinion: Do you want to see any Fairy Tail characters (specifically the guild Fairy Tail)?


	8. Chapter 8

AN: If you like reading Dragon!Issei and this story isn't enough, I recommend G1Splicer's the Holy Inferno Dragon (it's not a crossover). Well, just wanted to give him a shoutout for his unique and fantastic story, since it was a small part of my inspiration for starting this one (even if they are quite different).

I can't believe what the Fairy Tail anime just pulled out in episode 257, and the next episode's gonna rock (sadly, I read the manga, so the whole surprise and stuff is 100% ruined). Anyways, go watch the episode if you haven't already (hint, it features the two most epic dragons of the series).

Remember when I asked you guys about FT characters? There's now a poll on my profile for it, just so I can figure out who everyone wants to see in this story. There are some set appearances of certain characters, but there are also some things that can be determined by you readers, so go and vote! Edit: I forgot to put Acnologia on it! How could I forget him?

Anyways, I was really excited to get to this chapter, and here it is!

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Chapter 8: The Greatest Familiar

'Alright!' Issei cheered. He was finally going to get to do something interesting with the devils. Finding Asia a familiar sounded far more pleasant that granting clients their wish or taking care of wimpy stray devils. "Wait, how exactly are we going to do this?"

Rias giggled at Issei's absentminded attitude. "I'm glad you asked." She reached under her desk. With a loud bang, a stack of papers slammed onto the desk. "These are for you Ise, so that you can accompany us to the Familiar Forest. You will be supplied with a method of transport as soon as you complete them."

He stared for a moment. Then... "WHYYY!" How could the world be so cruel! In a truly Ddraig fashion, Issei held his head in his hands, tears pouring out. That stack must have been over sixty pages!

"Relax. You don't have to go if you don't want to."

Oh, that did it. Fine, if this nonsense was what it took, than he'd conquer all of the paperwork. "Hah, you wish Buchou. I'm gonna fill this out and help Asia get a familiar that's totally better than all of yours!"

Kiba smirked good-naturedly. "You don't even know what our familiars are."

Issei, in a show of maturity, stuck his tongue out. Before things got out of hand and the two decided to duke it out in some way, Rias stepped in. "That's a good point, Yuuto. Here, this is my familiar." She reached out her hand and an oddly spherical bat-like thing appeared above it.

The dragon stared at it for a moment. 'Is that really her familiar? What's it gonna do to help her in a fight, spit on the guy?' From what he understood of familiars, they were like a second layer of protection. If he could get back to Earth Land, he'd get Asia a wyvern or something of the like that would be a contest for most regular opponents, not this batty thing.

"I've got one too," Akeno added, a green, imp-like creature appearing beside her. It was tiny as well, like half a foot tall!

Koneko didn't want to be left out. "This is Shiro."

'Aww! Koneko's got a little kitty!' Issei gushed. It was adorable with its big eyes, its snowy fur, and a bell on its collar. At least that fit Koneko perfectly, since her scent was distinctly cat-like and her name literally meant 'kitten.'

Kiba smiled. "Yeah, her cat is cute, isn't it. Want to see mine, it's pretty badass."

"I don't wanna see your anything," Issei grinned, almost urging the knight to a facepalm.

"Anyway," Rias interrupted. "The next time we will be allowed into the Familiar Forest to catch a familiar is on the full moon, and that's coming up soon." What she really was saying is that Issei had to fill out all of those forums in a day. He was not looking forward to it.

There was a loud knock on the door. Issei quickly turned, ready to take care of whatever possible threat was trying to burst in. Immediately, he figured that he was too tense and lightened up, crossing his arms nonchalantly. Akeno giggled at his antics. "Come in!"

The door swung open, and a bunch of people in Kuoh Academy uniforms entered. The first one had glasses, the round rims framing her lightly colored eyes. She, and the other glasses-wearing girl next to her, both had some obvious racks. It took him a couple seconds to realize that all of them, including the rather smug blond guy with them, were members of the student council. And, like the ORC, every member of the student council smelled like a typical devil. He had forgotten about them and had never really bothered to ask Rias why other devils were at the school.

"Sorry to interrupt." The one to speak was Sona Shitori, the president of the student council.

"Issei, who are these people?" Asia questioned, bringing the dragon from his thoughts.

He whispered quietly, "they're all on the student council. The one in the front is Sona Shitori, the president. The girl with the glasses is Tsubaki something or another."

"What are they doing here?" The former nun wondered.

He shrugged. "I think they're all devils."

"Good guess," Akeno pitched in. "Her real name is Sona Sitri, heiress to a big devil family." Well, that made sense. Issei still had no idea if there were any small devil families left anyway after the Great War.

Rias didn't seem that pleased with the intrusion. "Hello Sona, what can I do for you?"

"Nothing," she replied. Issei got the feeling that she was analyzing the situation in some way, an intelligent gleam in her eyes. "I just wanted to congratulate you on increasing the size of your peerage."

Asia whispered quietly to Issei, "I didn't know there were other devils at our school." She seemed a little nervous.

"Yeah," Issei mumbled, adding a bit louder. "What exactly are you guys doing here?" Didn't devils normally each have their own territories or was he seriously behind in understanding how things worked?

"What are we doing here?" The only guy in Sona's peerage repeated, smirking. "Please, that doesn't seem like much coming from some human hanging with devils. Why do you let him tag along Rias?"

She held out a hand, stopping Issei from saying anything. Sona acted as though she expected this. "It's considered bad form to get involved with the affairs of other households Saji." Oh, that was his name, right. Wasn't he just elected clerk or something? "It's only natural that Rias would want a dragon by her side."

"A-a dragon," Saji gasped.

Rias spoke in order to keep Issei quiet. Nothing good was going to come of a dragon defending his honor in front of someone who just insulted him. Seriously, the teen looked like he was about to explode. "This is Hyoudou Issei, a member of my club and high-class dragon." Honestly, that latter information didn't reassure him at all, considering how high-class dragon was such a vague category.

"This is Genshirou Saji, my pawn," the Sitri introduced.

"Hah, a high-class dragon?" Saji grinned haughtily. He held up four fingers. "I took up four pawn pieces and my sacred gear has a Dragon King sealed in it. You think you stand a chance against me, bro?"

Sona sighed at her servant's cocky proclamation. "Neither I nor Rias have the power to reincarnate Issei as a devil. He was also the one to destroy the church, the one that we helped rebuild. It's always best to check your facts before you make a fool of yourself."

"You're kidding me! This lame-ass looking kid is that strong?"

"You wanna fight?" Issei growled, showing his sharp, Dragon Slayer canines. "Right now, you and me!"

Sona didn't even acknowledge the impending argument, addressing Rias about Saji instead. "My apologies, he's young. I hope you'll forgive him and his youthful naivety. Newbies don't always understand the finer points of civility." Surprisingly, that was able to calm the two down. Neither was eager for a fight at the moment when the meeting of the two peerages was taking place. In fact, Issei was still curious as to why Sona was here at all.

"One more word and I'll kick his ass," Issei vowed under his breath.

"Right," Saji muttered in agreement with Sona, ignoring Issei. He would follow his king, regardless of how he felt about it. "My pleasure," he sighed, holding out his hand for a shake.

A cute voice replied, "no the pleasure is all mine!" He had grabbed Asia's hand. Dammit, Issei did not approve of this!

The pawn's eyes lit up. "Hey are you sure you aren't an angel, 'cause I'm pretty sure you just fell down from heaven."

Issei jumped in, twisting the guy's wrist to the point of him crying out. But he wasn't all serious, instead grinning slyly and evilly. "You try anything with her and I'll shove your feet in your mouth."

"Oh yeah?" Saji grunted in pain. "We'll see about that!" The two had an intense stare-down, Issei completely dominating the other male physically. Saji didn't let off, however, in a testament to his stubbornness.

"This is embarrassing," Rias admitted. She had thought her dragon friend had more control than that. Guess his kind really did do whatever they wanted, regardless of formalities.

"Isn't it?" Sona agreed.

"What are you anyways, huh?" Saji taunted. "Rias's cute little familiar?"

"Hell no!" Issei shot back with a growl. "I bet you don't even got a familiar!"

He scowled. "I'm a full devil now, man, and I'm getting myself a familiar."

"Hah, as if! Asia'll get her familiar years before you!"

As the two traded insults, Sona's features lit up with understanding. "Oh, is that your plan Rias?"

"Yes," the redhead answered. "I was thinking of going this week."

"Hmm, we had intended to go at that time as well, and he only takes one group per full moon."

Rias grinned. "How about a friendly contest then."

"A contest?"

"Whoever wins can get their familiar first." She was quite confident in her peerage's ability to win any competition against her childhood friend and sorta-rival.

The student council president adjusted her glasses. "Perhaps that is not the best idea. You can go this week, Rias. I would hate to wind up angering your dragon in any way."

"Oh, that's hardly any fun, Sona," Rias complained with a sigh. "Well, I guess it can't be helped." Sona was known for her perceptiveness and logical thinking, and sometimes that came before the two's miniature and friendly rivalry.

Sona grabbed Saji by the ear, disrupting his argument with Issei. She began dragging him away as the rest of the student council turned towards the exit. "Come on, we're leaving."

"Leaving, you've gotta be joking!" Saji shouted. "You aren't gonna do this competition just cause this lame-ass is on their team? Bullshit." He struggled against her insane grip on his ear, swinging his arms like a madman.

Issei smirked triumphantly. "Looks like there isn't anything you can do about it though," he pointed out.

"Sona!" Saji protested. "Let me at him! If I beat him, we get to go first."

Rias nodded her head, still eager to defeat Sona in some manner. "That seems like an excellent idea." Sona, although she said nothing in reply, let go of her servant.

Saji, now freed, fell to the ground at the sudden action. Quickly, he scrambled to his feet and walked up to Issei. The dragon crossed his arms, a confident grin on his face. Surely, this relatively low-powered devil wouldn't pose much of a threat. "Challenge me in anything. Asia'll be getting her familiar first, no matter what."

"We'll see about that," Saji humphed. "You said I could challenge you in anything?"

Issei nodded his head. "I support this as well," Rias inserted.

"Me too," Sona added.

"Heh," the sides of Saji's lips twitched upwards. "Then I challenge you in..."

.

Rias let out a long sigh. The group had all went to Issei's house the next evening in order to settle the two boys' little competition. While the apartment was fairly small, Issei's uncle Red didn't seem to have much trouble accommodating all of them. The older dragon went through the trouble of bringing both snacks and drinks, things essential for any household event. There was even music played loudly on speakers throughout the house, and the lights were slightly dimmed. It was rather strange to see both peerages in there, talking and socializing as if they were at some kind of party. Normally she and Sona were head to head, competing whenever given the chance. So, when Issei and Saji had challenged each other, she had hardly expected a scene like this.

"Having fun, Rias Gremory?"

She turned to see their fiery red haired host carrying a bottle of beer. "Red-san. I didn't realize that this was supposed to be a party."

The dragon shrugged. "I've never had this many people over. At most, it's those two hot weirdos from partner's kendo, so this is a welcome change."

That didn't connect as well as she had expected his explanation to. "So you threw a party?" That seemed kind of unnecessary since they weren't here strictly for amusement. Actually, most everyone had arrived an hour ago and was just chilling, way before the match between Issei and Saji was set to begin.

"Well, yeah. I got tips from my buddy and everything." Jeez, dragons were a special kind of weird. Nonetheless, she wasn't about to complain about having fun, as much as it confused her. It may not have been the best time for her to party, she knew, but she wasn't going to act like a downer at such an upbeat occasion. "You should loosen up, Rias."

"What was that?" Red had taken a far more serious tone just then.

The dragon knew Issei had plenty of seriousness in his life, and it wasn't going to help if his club president acted all uptight too. "Have fun, do whatever devils do. Whatever you've been worried about isn't important right now."

She thought for a second on that. 'Am I too focused on my own future to live in the present?' She smiled. 'Perhaps Red-san is right, just for today.' She bowed her head. "Thank you for that. I really must get going, the fight is about to start soon."

"Oooh, it is? I've gotta watch this as well. It's always fun to see partner beat up a new opponent." Red was really proud of his nephew, wasn't he? Sometimes she wished her parents approached her situation with a similar attitude...

The two walked towards Issei's room, where people of both peerages were packed in. Kiba, ever the chill knight, was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed as he looked inside the room. When he saw the two, he stood straight and bowed. "You must be Issei-san's uncle, Red-san. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You're the one he spars against now, right?" The man questioned. When a nod confirmed it, he smirked. "I've heard you're a talented swordsman, no doubt a good challenge."

"Speaking of," Kiba said, gazing towards the center of the room, "it's about to begin."

Meanwhile, Issei was in the midst of a stare-off with Saji, the two sporting equally cocky grins. Everyone was gathered around them, watching the tense rivalry with mixed expressions. Some were confused, others like Koneko seemed exasperated, and a couple were downright lost at the events unfolding around them.

"You ready, newbie?" The black dragon prompted.

"Ready to kick your ass?" Saji returned. "Any day of the weak."

Issei didn't seem impressed. "Don't underestimate me."

The pawn just rolled his eyes. "Please, how much Smash Bros Brawl would a dragon ever play?" Sure, he had all these fancy game systems all over the house, but that didn't mean he was any good.

"Enough to beat you."

Kiba smiled at the two's declarations, stepping into the room with Rias. The Gremory crossed her arms, bewildered at the sight of it all... two powerful supernatural beings squaring off on a video game. "I still can't believe that they're settling this with a game," she said.

"He _did_ say to challenge him in anything," Kiba pointed out. That probably explained why the two were fiercely gripping Game Cube controllers, glaring at each other in front of a large TV.

"I suppose so," she conceded. "I would have never expected this in a million years. Those two are certainly interesting."

"Get 'em partner!" Red yelled out.

Issei gave his uncle a thumbs up. "Got it, Uncle. I'm gonna win this for you, Asia!" He declared, pointing towards her.

"GO!"

.

"You're kidding me!" Saji whined. "How the hell did you beat me?" They had played best 3 of 5, and Issei had only lost a single round. The pawn was absolutely floored by the thorough thrashing. He was sure he had outwitted Issei when he challenged the dragon to a human game instead of a physical contest. How was he supposed to know that a dragon would ever play Smash?

Issei rubbed the back of his head. "I should have told you I played a lot of games."

"What kind of dragon plays this so much!?" The pawn cried, holding his face in his hands.

"Eh, it's alright dude. I've got a lot of free time to kill these days." Issei rubbed the back of his head, a little sheepish that he wasted so much time on gaming. It wasn't like he was going to train during every second he had free after school. Besides, there wasn't much he _could_ train while he was busy concealing his power and appearing human.

"That was unexpected," Rias added, walking up to the two of them.

"Quite," Sona said, interrupting from the doorway. The other members of the Sitri peerage were flooding out of the room now that the 'battle' was over. "Saji, it's time to leave."

The blond seemed both offended and surprised. "Gimme one more round. I'll get him this time, I promise."

She shook her head. "You lost your second chance, so now we're leaving."

"That's not cool at all..." Saji sighed. He hadn't really wanted to play another round in order to win. Maybe he could, maybe he couldn't, but that wasn't important. HE just wanted to chill with Issei for a little bit, even if he'd never admit it. "Fine, whatever. Next time, dragon, I'll crush you."

Issei smirked. "I'll be waiting."

As the Sitri peerage exited, the room was left extremely quiet. No one said a word, and Issei felt as if everyone was seriously judging him for his pastime.

Until, someone finally broke the silence. "Idiot..." Koneko deadpanned.

'Dammit!' Issei whined internally. "H-heartless!"

Ddraig sighed at the overreaction. "Partner, think about it for a second."

"Not you too," he muttered, downcast.

Kiba shrugged. "I thought your skills were impressive."

Issei scowled. 'He's making fun of me, right?' He was like 60 percent sure that was sarcasm. "I get it, I get it. You're all surprised that someone who's all ambitions about becoming a dragon king and becoming stronger than their father would focus more on training than gaming."

"Oh, don't be that way," Akeno dismissed." I always like boys with a wide range of talents," she finished in a sultry tone.

Kiba's smile only grew. "Life's important, dude. You should have fun while you can."

"I don't need advice from you!" Issei exclaimed jokingly, pointing a finger. He huffed, thinking back to when he came to Kuoh. "All my life I had been fighting dragons and growing stronger." He rubbed the back of his head self-consciously, a sheepish look on his face. "I guess you could say that I had to keep myself entertained, since this city's kinda boring without you guys."

His uncle hummed in agreement. "I didn't get it at first either." The Welsh Dragon stared off into the distance, comparing Issei to all his other 'partners.' Of them all, he had only ever cared for Issei, and he'd even gotten the kid to call him Uncle. Everyone else had just lost themselves to power, and he had come scarily close to losing his nephew to the same cause. "But we all need something to do with our time." Video games weren't such a bad or unusual trade off given everything that had happened to Issei already in his relatively short life.

"Oi! All you do is go to clubs and bring home weird chicks," Issei pointed out.

Ddraig huffed. "Please, that isn't all I do with them."

"That," Kiba interjected, "is too much information."

The red haired dragon didn't seem to care too much, shaking his head at the teen. There were a couple seconds where everyone just stared awkwardly at him. "Don't you kids have someone else to bother?"

Akeno giggled. "Fufufu, that's true Red-san. Since Issei-kun won, we can make that trip to get Asia her familiar."

"Really? So soon?" An upbeat Asia replied with a smile. "Thank you so much, Issei!"

"Yes," Rias supplied, "it's quite fortunate that you have the typical pastimes of any other teen." Issei blushed a little. Man, praising his video game skills was a strange thing. She smiled at his reaction, placing her hands on her hips. "Now then, it's time to get our newest member her familiar."

.

In the middle of a dimly lit, vaguely creepy forest a red magic circle glowed. In an instant, six bodies standing side-by-side formed from the red light. The members of the Occult Research Club had wound up in the area of the Underworld known as the Familiar Forest. Technically, it was controlled by the devils, but more than just devils were known to visit it in order to obtain a long-term companion. Most generally magical creatures resided here due mainly to the fact that it had a wide variety of habitats and that the rest of the Underworld wasn't incredibly hospitable for beings that live in nature.

Issei stumbled a little, looking around. It was really weird to have someone else's magic used to teleport him, and he hadn't expected this to work at all. Apparently, whatever strange forms he filled out had allowed him to travel with Rias temporarily. But wasn't the Gremory familar crest only used to transport members of her family? It shouldn't work on him, then, even if he did do all that work. 'Whatever, it's not like I'm some super-genius who'd want to figure this out anyways.'

"What's with the face, Issei-kun?" Akeno chuckled.

He sobered up, frantically trying to make his expression as normal as possible. "What face? I was just wondering how it was I got here, that's all."

Rias seemed to get it. "Typically, you'd be right in assuming that anyone outside my family couldn't have used the magic circle. However, I may have bent the rules a little just for you."

Something in there didn't sound right. "Care to elaborate?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "It isn't important anymore, but you were classified as my familiar for the jump."

"W-what!" Why would she do something like that!?

"Don't take that the wrong way, please," she implored guiltily. "I'm sorry for not telling you. It was done in place of the contract that one would usually make that would bind the familiar permanently. You have temporary passage, but only for today."

"So I'm not bound to you in any way?" He repeated, trying to make sure of it. It wouldn't be _that_ bad to be her familiar, but his pride as a dragon deemed that he could never let something like that happen.

She gave him an amused look. "Of course not. It's just a loophole that only lasts for today."

"Oh," Issei replied, most of his fire gone. She had done all this for him, just so he could come with? "Thanks," he said rather dumbly.

Kiba smirked. "You didn't read the fine print?"

"Shut it, prince," the dragon bit back.

"Um," Asia interrupted timidly, "what do we do now? This place is scary."

"Scary you say?"

'Wait, who is that?' Issei whipped around to a dude jump down from the trees, landing gracefully next to them.

The young man was dressed in tattered clothes, like he had spent the last few weeks in this forest, and also wore a backwards cap. "Hey, I'm Satooji of Madara town, aiming to become the next Familiar Master!" Issei couldn't help but wonder why he was wearing old, beaten clothes.

"Hello, Satooji-san," Rias replied politely with a small bow. "These are the ones I brought today. Only Asia has need of a familiar."

He walked up to Issei, his brows furrowed in concentration. "Hmm. This dull-faced boy who isn't a devil accompanies you?"

"Whaddaya mean dull-faced," Issei complained. He didn't look _that_ confused right now, did he?

Rias didn't seem the least bit offended by the Familiar Master's comment towards her friend. Issei supposed she just didn't have any sympathy, fitting for a devil. "Issei is a dragon and a close friend of mine who was allowed here due to his relation with Asia."

"Well, well. Okay! Leave it to me, and any familiar in this forest will be caught in no time!" Issei didn't believe that in the least. Apparently, neither did Koneko. "So, cute little lady, what kind of a familiar do you desire? A strong one? A fast one? One that likes to set fires?" Did he just rhyme that?

Issei raised an eyebrow at her as she tried to puzzle out what she wanted. "I-I don't know. Issei thinks I should get something strong, but something pretty would be nice too."

"What do you recommend?" Rias inputted.

The familiar master nodded a few times, completely confident. "Strong and beautiful." He pulled out a catalog and pointed to a picture."This is what I would recommend, the Chaos Karma Dragon, Tiamat!"

"Tiamat!" Issei jumped, grabbing the catalog from him. "She's said to have power on par with a Maou and is the only female of all the Dragon Kings!" Screw waiting, if he could find her, he could challenge her right now.

Rias tilted her head. "What's your interest with her, Ise?"

"It's simple," he replied, an enormous grin. "I'll get her to recognize me as a fellow Dragon King." So, this had too do with the conversation they had earlier. When Issei had told her that he wanted to be a Dragon King one day, she suspected he meant in the future after he had plenty of chance to increase his strength. Rias knew Issei was tough, though she had never saw reason to suspect that his power was on _Dragon King_ level! That was ridiculous.

"That's the spirit! She lives in a giant castle of white bricks across a lake!" Satooji encouraged, pointing off in the distance.

"You're reckless and insane," Koneko sighed, making Issei lose all steam instantly.

"Well," Rias added with a shrug. "I'm sure you could pull it off."

Issi stared. 'She doesn't look like she believes that!' With good reason, considering that Tiamat was the most powerful of all the Dragon Kings. "We have to get a familiar for Asia first," he reminded them. "I'll find her afterwards." He said it with such certainty that no one was going to argue.

"Tiamat might be a little much for Asia," Akeno pointed out to Satooji.

"Okay, no problem!" The Familiar Master exclaimed in a heartbeat. He flipped to another page. This one showed a viscous beast with sharp fangs and evil eyes. More importantly, it had nine heads, each looking equally terrifying. "The hydra! There are no devils in the world that can endure its deadly poison! On top of that it's immortal" Ooh, Issei was really interested in this one. It could surely protect Asia. "The worst creature in the world the can even kill its master! Isn't that useful?"

"If you want it," Rias told her bishop, "we could be back by the end of the day. I know of a hydra somewhere deep in the forest..."

Issei wasn't sure a familiar the could kill its master was a good idea. "I don't think Asia appreciates that too much."

Kiba got a look at the former nun's features. "Yes, she does seem a little pale."

"Are you okay there, Asia?" Akeno asked, concerned.

"I-I'm fine!" Asia yelped. "Issei?" She placed her hands together and smiled. "I would like a familiar that's cute and fun to be around."

The Familiar Master answered in place of the dragon. "Fun? Done and done!"

Issei huffed. Fun was great and all, but the familiar they find better not be useless.

.

Okay, an Undine (or water sprite) was a bad idea! That thing was a muscular as a bodybuilder, a terrifying thought given that it was a female. It was also about ten feet tall, even taller than Issei's hybrid form! Satooji had said he'd fine something fun and cute, and this clearly did not fit the bill!

"W-we could call her Dine-chan?" Asia managed, a reluctant and scared expression on her face.

Was she really trying to catch that? "I don't think this is the one for you, Asia..."

"What's wrong, Ise?" Rias wondered. "Surely Dine-chan would be capable enough as a familiar, and don't dragons find strength attractive?"

His jaw dropped. "A-Attractive? That!?" He took a moment to not throw up in his mouth. "I don't think you know what that word means, Buchou." He liked women with nice curves and well sized breasts. Okay, maybe he was a bit of a perv, but it wasn't his fault. Acnologia had never taught him about women, so had to kind of find out on his own. Fortunately, he would never find a steroid-filled womanly thing with pecks larger than his head attractive.

"Well then," Rias replied with a frown, "onto the next one."

.

"Look ahead!" Satooji pointed upwards to a branch. On top of it, a bird-sized blue dragon rested peacefully, looking around with big, curious eyes.

Asia felt her heart melt. "Aww, it's really really cute!" Issei had to agree. It was absolutely adorable as far as small dragons go. Of course, it was a baby and all that, so he didn't feel to inclined to teach it who's boss.

"Cute, but dangerous too. When they get angry they can shoot a lightning that's blue!"

'Decide if you want to rhyme or not!' Issei thought.

Kiba was quite interested. "Issei, isn't that type of dragon pretty rare?"

"It's a Sprite Dragon," he replied, trying to remember anything about them. His memory wasn't spot on, though he tended to recall information about dragons better than most other topics. "Uncle... Red says there isn't a whole lot of them left anymore. When they grow up they're classified as a high-class dragon, but they can't do much other than shoot that blue lightning." Okay, maybe he was being a bit hard on them. He still resented that he was classified the same as this puny little guy, since 'high-class' was a huge range for dragons.

"Do it now if you want this one claimed. Once these dragons grow up, they can no longer be tamed." Did this guy want to rhyme or not?

"This seems like it would be a good fit." Akeno added in her two pieces. "Issei-kun, what do you think?"

Smart of her to ask the opinion of the group's dragon on whether this dragon made a good familiar or not. On one hand, it was demeaning to make any dragon a familiar, but this one was a baby. It probably wouldn't get too far on its own. "I don't know. I kind of wanted something as powerful as that hydra." Something that could without a doubt protect her.

"Issei," Rias said forcefully.

"I know, I know," he sighed. This wasn't his familiar and she was perfectly capable of protection Asia as a member of the Gremory house. "They don't grow that fast. They finish growing around ten years old and are five meters tall or so. By then, he would be able to destroy the church like I did. Maybe in a couple years he'll learn to speak."

"They can speak?" Kiba questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"They're magic, numbnuts," Koneko justified.

The knight shrugged. "That is true."

Asia smiled at the little dragon. "I really like him." The dragon, as if on cue, flew off the tree branch and landed on Asia's shoulder.

Issei leaned forward until he was eye level with the other dragon. "You don't seem like much now, do you? Ah!" The dragon responded with a wave of blue electricity that left him sizzling. Obviously, he was totally fine, just shocked (mentally and physically). "You better know who you just messed with, bro."

The Sprite Dragon replied with a strange noise. The two kept staring at each other. Asia had no idea what was going on, Rias seemed amused, and Koneko was about to deadpan something. Akeno and Kiba could only smirk at the dragons' stare-off. Issei didn't stop talking through it all. "So you like Asia then, huh?" Everyone else thought they saw the dragon dip its head in acknowledgement, though it could have been their imagination. "Alright then, I expect you to take good care of her."

They all breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever initiation that just went down, Asia was glad that Issei thought that this little guy was going to be okay for her familiar. Sure, it wasn't the strongest, but she really liked it. Not only was it cute, it was a dragon, just like Issei. That had to count for something in her mind.

The blond knight was the one to speak out. "Um, what just happened?"

Issei leaned back and crossed his arms. "He realized that I'm much stronger than him. He also seems like a pretty determined dragon for one so young..."

"Wow!" Satooji called out. "Dragons in action are a sight to see!"

"A Sprite Dragon is a good familiar, Ise. So, Asia, what are you going to call him?"

She considered it for a second before her face lit up. "How about Rassei?"

'She'll name him after me?' Issei thought. That was a pretty grand gesture, and he felt a little embarrassed all the sudden.

Rias smirked. "I think that's fitting. The next step is to bind him to you as your familiar."

Issei hummed. "So you're done then?" The Gremory gave him a nod. "Um, then I've got something I kind of want to do before I follow you back, if that's alright."

"Sure bro, go ahead. I'm behind you all the way." Typical Kiba, supporting Issei without him knowing whether the knight was polite or joking.

"Heh. I'll show you all." As he ran away, he shouted, "when you see me next, I'll be Issei Hyoudou, the sixth Dragon King!"

.

As he flew over the forest, searching desperately to find Tiamat's location that Satooji had described, he was ambivalent about the familiar hunt. At least Asia had managed to get a familiar, even if it was only a Sprite Dragon. Although they were high-class dragons and formidable when full grown, there were many beings out there that would scoff at an adult Sprite Dragon. He wasn't about to let her have any less protection than he could give her himself. Okay, perhaps he was exaggerating a little, but he couldn't let anything happen to her like when her sacred gear was ripped out. He wouldn't get the opportunity that Rias gave her twice, since resurrection was a one trick pony. At least Rassei provided both of them with some form of comfort. The little guy was also adorable, though that's besides the point.

But he couldn't worry about that now. Asia was with Rias, safely back at Kuoh with Ddraig hopefully around. Right now, he was finally going to achieve his dream.

There it was! He could spot a giant castle in the distance, marble towers reaching towards the sky and parapets stretching along high walls. The moat was lava, and there wasn't even a drawbridge. It was like something out of a fairy tale, just much, much larger, scaled up for a dragon. The entirety of the massive building was pristine, though the ground around it was scorched and dead. Only something like this was fitting for the strongest of the Dragon Kings. 'I'm getting a house like this!' The only problem was that he wanted to live in the human world, and this probably wasn't discreet enough.

He took a deep breath. 'Alright.' Was he nervous? His wings were beating far more erratically and off-pace than normal. He hadn't fought a dragon in forever, and he'd never dreamed of encountering one stronger than any other in Fiore (minus Acnologia). Knowing his goals from the start, Ddraig had warned him against this, saying he was too young to confront a dragon king, but Issei was never one to mindlessly obey his uncle. Not even a heavenly dragon would stop him from proving himself, not when he was so close.

Sensing Tiamat's chaotic presence was easy, and it was much like the only other chaos dragon he knew, Acnologia. They were the same type of dragon after all, despite originating in different worlds.

Issei angled his wings and plummeted down, landing in front of a large, wooden door with enormous knockers. He probably could have fit through as a full dragon if he wanted to; that was how massive the entrance was. For its size, the door wasn't too heavy, and he was able to push it open just enough to slip in. Inside was a gold-trimmed, red carpet as wide as the doorway. Giant blue flames flickered atop of pedestals, and enormous columns only made the castle appear larger on the inside. At the end of what was at least a 150 meter long hallway, up a set of steps, rested a sleeping figure... Tiamat.

She was curled up, tail in front of her face, and Issei estimated her size as slightly smaller his own, only she was clearly quadrupedal. Between the faint lighting and his enhanced sight, he could tell that her scales were cyan in color, lined with darker portions of sapphire. Her stomach was somewhere between extremely light blue and grey.

"It's polite to knock, you know." The female dragon opened a purple eye and raised her head to stare at the intruder. "Sheesh, nobody lets me take a nap. At least you aren't one of those stupid-ass devils that want me to be their familiar."

"You get a lot of devils?" They must be a bunch of idiots, then, to think they could make a dragon their familiar.

She rolled her large shoulders, stretching. "They did build their 'familiar forest' around my domain, so that sucks. I haven't decided to move yet, 'cause I like it here. It's close to the gate to the human world too, and I'm a sucker for their devices. They've got some kickass inventions."

"I live there!" Issei exclaimed. "But how do you blend in?"

"Really?" The blue dragon raised a scaly brow. "I hope you didn't think you're the only dragon who can take a human form. Old man Tannin can't, but that's mostly 'cause he's an idiot." She huffed, changing topics. "I mostly visit just because things up there are practically the embodiment of chaos. They've had, what, two major wars in the past century, and everyone does whatever the heck they want. The devils here are soooo boring with their procedures and formalities."

Issei nodded enthusiastically. "I'm friends with one. She gave me like hours of paperwork just so they'd let me get here." She cringed at paperwork.

"I'm sorry," Tiamat sighed. "I haven't seen another chaos dragon in a while, so excuse me for not introducing myself. I'm Tiamat, strongest of the Five Dragon Kings, but you hopefully knew that." It was only fitting that someone as strong as her could tell exactly what Issei was.

"Yeah. I'm Issei Hyoudou. Pleased to meet you Tiamat-sama."

"Sama, huh, like they use in Japan. Maybe I should call you Issei-kun, and you could chop off the overrespectful stuff." She chuckled at the blush on Issei's face.

He overcame the embarrassment with a grin. "I guess you'd be Tiamat-chan, then," he joked.

"That's endearing. I like it." His blush deepened further at her suggestive tone, and her laugh grew louder in turn. "It's been a while since another dragon wasn't overly respectful with me. I hate formalities." Typical of a chaos dragon.

Issei was surprised by how kindly she was treating him. "I thought you'd be more..."

"Ferocious? Hotheaded?" She supplied. "Not to a dragon of my own kind. I bet that fool Ddraig told you exactly what I was like." She wrinkled her nose. "Oh yes, I can smell him anywhere."

"He kind of hates you, you know."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course he does. He thinks that just 'cause he's tougher than me that I'd be his mate. I told him that he was better off with Albion, 'cause they already bicker like a married couple."

'That explains why he warned me not to get to know her. Hah, it's hard to imagine him getting told off like that.' Iseei couldn't resist giggling at Tiamat's comment of Ddraig and Albion as a couple. "Ddraig isn't all about their rivalry anymore."

"I find that impossible to believe. They were like that since they were whelps, and it's only ever gotten worse. Say, Issei-kun, those wings of yours... Can you show me your normal form, please?"

"Sure." He showed her his hybrid form, making her sigh.

"Not like the stupid mini-dragon thing Tannin walks around in. Show me who you are, not who you pretend to be." He had plenty of room here, and it's not like Ddraig or anyone else was there to tell him not to. Actually, he hadn't been able to be in his base dragon form for a long, long time. Still, the night where he killed Raynare was fresh in his mind. While this form didn't make him lose control like Aura Burst could, he would rather not have the memories of his ruthlessness come back. "I don't care. Whatever you're worried about, I don't care. I won't judge you Issei-kun."

She did seem sincere about that... maybe it was for the best. 'I can't be afraid of myself forever. I'm not my father, and being a chaos dragon doesn't make me evil, since Tiamat-chan is actually really nice.' Screw that, he was a dragon, not some angsty kid who was hiding behind his past. He barely realized that the castle he was in didn't seem nearly as enormous as before. In fact, it had the proportions one would expect from a cozy house. The formerly giant red carpet on the floor was probably twice his width, and his wings stretched out nearly the entire distance between columns, and the door he'd entered from was almost smaller than him.

"You're bipedal," she observed. "That's fine, you're still handsome." She walked up to him, obviously shorter due to being a more typical quadrupedal western dragon.

'Handsome...' Issei thought, a warm feeling making him smile. In dragon terms, that meant he was a mixture of fierce and solidly-built. "Oh, I'm fine on two or four legs, really. I just like standing up."

"Interesting." She stared intently, unnervingly at him. "You remind me of this dragon I've been hearing about a lot recently; black with blue markings. You aren't one of those Evil Dragons, right?" Issei shook his head vehemently. "Good. While I do like destruction and chaos, I'm not called the Chaos _Karma_ Dragon for nothing. Sorry for the mix-up."

'That's not the first I've heard of this...' Issei remembered Raynare's last words being something similar. 'It can't be him. There's no way!'

Issei felt something on his shoulder and noticed Tiamat's hand resting on it comfortingly. She had reared up, standing on two feet, making her slightly taller. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." She grinned. "Say, Issei-kun, have you had a mate?"

"What?" He was so distracted when she said that. Did he hear that right?

She rolled her eyes again. "Never mind. Now that I've gotten to talk with someone who isn't one of my bigoted asshole neighbors, I'll listen to what you came here for."

Issei took a breath, still off center from her earlier question. "I came here to defeat you!" After his 'fight' with Saji hadn't lived up to his expectations, he knew that this one would satisfy.

"Defeat me," Tiamat repeated, grinning. "I haven't had a good challenge for eons! Alright, Issei-kun, I'm game, but we aren't going to fight in here. It's kind of a tight space, don't you think?"

"It's an awesome castle, and I don't want to break anything," he admitted.

She nodded. "Yes, this place cost a fortune. The devils make it impossible to buy any good real estate, and fallen angels only sell to allies."

The two exited the castle, Issei finding the door much easier to open in this form. Tiamat followed him, walking on only her hind legs. Though it was clearly difficult for her, her wings helped her immensely with balance. He wasn't entire sure why she didn't just walk on all fours, but he wasn't going to question it.

"At least the devil I contracted to build this was happy to do work for a Dragon King, greedy bastard. He used the damn contract to get a promotion to high-class, and now he thinks we're best buddies or something. His servants do clean the grounds for free, though, so I get something out of it." Damn, she really loved to ramble on about different things, Issei noted. It was a bit strange how open and trusting Tiamat was with him without her having the innocence of Asia. Honestly, he admired that quality in the Dragon King, and it made him wish that more people were like that. Innocent or not, people didn't need to manipulate others.

She seemed to remember something as the two flew over the fiery moat. "Oh, you'll have to excuse the grounds. They only come once a year to keep it tidy, and I already had some bastard come and burn everything down. I wouldn't worry, though, he knows better than to mess with me now." He had no idea others came here, and he wondered if this unfortunate last person was a dragon or devil.

Issei decided to ask, "you won't get mad if we blow up the forest and screw up the landscape, right?" He was kind of nervous with how she was talking about the last guy, and Issei was certain that their fight was going to be more destructive than burning down a few trees.

"Of course not," she huffed as they landed on the scorched earth. "You're a chaos dragon, not some fire-breathing lizard. I doubt you'd be able to beat me if you're focused more on keeping my lawn in tact." As true as it was, it made him scowl, though there was no ill intent behind it. She tilted her head at him. "What are you waiting for, Issei-kun?"

He stood there blankly for a few seconds. Before he met Tiamat, he was planning on going as far as he needed to in order to destroy her and prove himself better, but now he was hesitant. He actually liked her, so how was he supposed to fight with everything he had?

"Fine then," she said. Issei, mind still wandering, felt a painful blow right to his chest. As he looked down, he noticed Tiamat had rammed him, stabbing him with the three horns on her head.

Issei flew back, crashing into the ground and skidding back, a huge scar left on the dirt. His grey stomach was matted by three spots of blood. 'Damn, that hurt. I deserved it though.' He got the message: it's on for real. Smirking, his stood up and dusted off his shoulders. "For real, then," he said.

"For real," Tiamat agreed.

They both took to the air. Tiamat opened her maw and spewed blue flames, the same color as Issei's magic but in the form of fire. He swerved just in time to avoid the fireball, which crashed into the ground and exploded, creating a large crater. In response, and solely to prove he could do the same, he unleashed his own roar, which she swerved around. _Boom!_ Not only was his explosion louder, but it also created a bigger crater.

There wasn't any time for smugness, however, because Tiamat was already charging him. Thinking fast, he pushed his magic to his wings and unleashed it all in a gale. 'Chaos Dragon's Wingbeat!' Tiamat was engulfed in the vibrant blast. Then, he felt a same stabbing pain right in his chest, seeing Tiamat's horns buried in his stomach. 'No way, my magic did nothing!'

As she headbutted him again, the two went spiraling towards the ground at incredible speeds before crashing into the forest like a meteor. Issei gasped loudly as he slammed wings-first into the ground, destroying hundreds of trees and skidding further away from Tiamat's castle. 'I can't just be thrown around like this!'

She was already flying at him again, claws and fangs bared. Using magic to enhance his speed, he dodged her first swipe, rolling along the ground. That left himself with a free shot at her stomach. He wasn't about to waste it. 'Chaos Dragon's Fist!' His fist was coated entirely in blue energy, shaped like a mix between a gigantic drill and a lance. As he cut upwards with all his physical power, he couldn't help but be reminded of Gildarts' similar signature move.

With an echoing boom and a barely audible crunch of something breaking, she went flying into the air, form spiraling out of control. The mere shock wave downed even more trees which were bent over and ripped out of the ground. Issei lined up his sights while she was disoriented, and he roared, another beam of blue energy shooting upwards like a beacon. It struck Tiamat and exploded, covering the sky in grey and cyan.

"That was a good combo." From the sky, Tiamat descended, nearly unhurt by the attacks. "I think you broke a rib, and that's the most anyone's done in a long time."

"So, you forfeit?"

She laughed uncontrollably. "Really? I haven't even gotten started yet!" The energy around her doubled, no tripled. She landed, causing a huge wave of rock to burst outwards, harmlessly showing Issei. The display of strength though was intimidating to say the least. "You didn't think it would be that easy to defeat a Dragon King, did you?"

That was punctuated with her firing a searing ball of intense flame. With a roar of his own, he countered, Tiamat's blue flames meeting with his Chaos Magic.

 _D_ _OOON!_ As the two magics tried to cancel, gale force wind spread outwards, flattening trees. In the center, nothing remained.

Issei panted a little with the effort, having required a ton of magic just to keep himself unharmed. In any other instance he wouldn't have worried about defense, taking the hit like a true dragon. But Tiamat was a tough opponent, and he couldn't afford testing his luck. "If you want to get serious, that's fine by me."

He concentrated for a couple seconds, closing his eyes. All he had to do was get her in the air again. Pushing some magic towards his wings and legs, Issei waited until they glowed an ominous navy color. His white eyes snapped open as he pushed off the ground, throwing himself at the Dragon King at incredible speed.

The sapphire colored dragon barely had time to be surprised, dodging a powerful punch by taking to the air. But Issei only grinned, placing a hand on the destroyed earth. 'Chaos Dragon Slayer Secret Art.' A blue magic circle appeared under Tiamat, before adding another layer above it, then another. "Annihilation Pillar!"

From the ground erupted an enormous beam of light, easily twice the diameter of Tiamat. It moved nearly instantly, the immense amount of magic covering the distance from the ground to her in the blink of an eye. The spell was so blinding that neither dragon could see much beyond the massive pillar of teal light. As it struck Tiamat, fully encompassing her and obscuring her from sight, she let out a loud howl of pain. Energy continued to erupt from the ground, waves radiating out to destroy the surrounding landscape.

Eventually, though, it died down. Issei smirked triumphantly, exhausted from the spell. The world went back to its dull colors.

"You can use magic?"

No way! That should have knocked her out cold! It took him a year and half just to get that one attack perfect. "What!?"

She was still in the air, beating her wings effortlessly. Her body looked scratched in some places, and a couple scales were red with blood, but beyond that she seemed relatively unharmed. "Very few dragons work to master a specific type of magic. I should have guessed that you were one of them when I saw you didn't breathe fire." She gracefully descended, taking up a place further back where there wasn't as big of a crater. "I'll admit that your attack was powerful, and my resistance to Chaos Magic was useful in keeping me uninjured. You're full of surprises, aren't you Issei-kun?" She chuckled.

"Damn you're tough. I guess normal Chaos Dragon Magic isn't going to work too great."

Tiamat grinned. "I love your determination! I haven't had this much fun in years!"

Issei crossed his arms, pointing his hands towards the ground and widening his stance. "If that's the case, then I'll have to use this. There isn't any way I'm giving up now." He placed his hands forward and opened his arms, and a yellow-white magic circle twice his height appeared in front of him. Its size was immense, and the black magic radiating off of him was not only potent but sinister. "This is a lost magic, forbidden for humans to use." She was intrigued. **"True Chaos Magic, Abyss Break!"** The light was even more brilliant than his last attack, a white-hot color interlaced with darkness.

The beam was twice Issei's size, the same as the magic circle, but it was incredibly dense. The sheer amount of magic pumped into it was enough to make his opponent, the one hailed as the strongest of the Dragon Kings, shiver with anticipation.

Calmly, Tiamat let out a dragonic smile. Then, she uttered a single word: "Judgement."

.

AN: Yes, I did joke about Satooji's rhyming inconsistency over the different versions (LN, anime, manga). I also cut out the slime scene, since it's nothing but gratuitous naked chicks, and I could write that much better in other more relevant places. Normally, I'd write dragons in bold, but considering just how many lines the two have in this fight, it might be better to forget about it for now.

Stay tuned for the conclusion of this fight and the Raiser Arc (I'll go through the latter pretty quickly). Bet you didn't expect that to be Tiamat's character, huh? She's gonna be a fun one to write ;)

Also, chapter length. I'm doing like 9.5k words right now. If that's too much do you guys want me to do less (6-7k) but with slightly more frequent updates?


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Here's another relatively quick update! I chose to do the 7k for this chapter, just to see how it works. I'm probably going to use this style for the next couple chapters, 'cause it makes me feel like I'm putting more content out there for you guys with less delay.

Side note: Why Wendy? She has more votes than Erza, and I get why everyone wants to see Erza. Don't get me wrong, Wendy is a great character, but I had no clue she was so popular.

Chapter 9: The Dragon King

 _Issei knew he stood no chance of winning against a Dragon King unless he held nothing back. "This is a lost magic, forbidden for humans to use." A magic circle formed in front of him. **"True Chaos Magic, Abyss Break!"** The light was even more brilliant than his last attack, a white-hot color interlaced with darkness._

 _Calmly, Tiamat let out a dragonic smile. Then, she uttered a single word: "Judgement."_

.

'What is this feeling?' Asia shuddered, looking off into the distance. Issei had flow off that way, and there had been a few explosions already. Now, an eerie feeling swept through the nun as she tried to imagine what was going on. "Is he okay?" She wondered. Rassei nudged her cheek reassuringly.

Rias crossed her arms. "He's fighting with a Dragon King, Asia, and the strongest of them at that."

"Issei-kun can do it," Akeno asserted.

"Yes, I have complete faith in him," Kiba added. "I could barely scratch his skin with my sword."

"...Senpai's badass."

Rias turned back to the former nun. "See, Asia," she stated firmly. "This is Issei's dream, to make a name for himself." She looked out towards the site of the explosions distractedly. "I wish him the best of luck."

As she finished her comment, a huge blast of white, black, and blue erupted in the distance. The blast radius could have been miles wide! Rias gasped at the sheer destruction she was bearing witness to. This was far more extreme than the church, and it had only just started. Truly, a battle between dragons of this level was insane. While she watched the lightshow, the shockwave and sound came next, blowing through the forest. Small rocks and dust was tossed up, even at this distance, as a gale force wind billowed through the trees, making all the devils shield their faces.

After the deafening sound, Akeno smirked. "Wow, that was very impressive."

Rias nodded, managing to dismiss the awe. "It is said that dragons fight for days. It would be pointless for us to stay here after Asia already got her familiar."

"Agreed," Koneko said plainly.

"Aww," Akeno pouted. "Can't we just watch him for a little longer?"

The Gremory sighed. "No, we can't." When her queen didn't look convinced, she added, "that's final, Akeno."

"How unfortunate," she giggled. "Well, I can't win this argument with you, now can I?"

Asia placed her hands together. 'Dear God, I hope Issei is-' "Ah!" She yelped.

"Now then," Rias asserted, "let's get going."

.

"GAAAH!" Issei wailed in pain. The explosion had flung him back, sending him bouncing through the forest, destroying everything in the process. Tiamat's blue flames had met Abyss Break, countering the massive attack, but they didn't stop there. Even as Issei skidded painfully to a halt, the flames clung to him, burning him and sapping his energy.

It was like his life was draining away.

Meanwhile, Tiamat had already gotten up and advanced towards him, covering the large distance relatively quickly. While Issei was writhing on the ground, trying to get rid of the flames, she had only suffered minor injuries. Her body was still beaten though, far more than she had expected. Abyss Break wasn't a joke, easily enough to dispatch most foes and destroy a town in the process.

"It was a good fight Issei-kun," she complimented, flying over the ruined area without much effort. "But these flames will burn until you have no more power left for that impressive magic."

'These flames...' Issei registered those words while he was howling in misery. Tiamat's fire was eating away at his magic, his life force. Was the Dragon King so strong as to successfully counter one of the most powerful magics in existence? If this was really what it meant to be a Dragon King... did he deserve the title? 'No!' He couldn't let his mind go down that path! He would never give up on his dream, not as long as his father was there to prove his strength to! He would surpass Acnologia, no matter what.

"Now, Issei-kun, what-"

"I'm not done yet!" Issei yelled, getting to his feet. He puffed his chest out and inhaled deeply. The strong current pulled in all the air around him, drawing in the flames that were still burning on his scales. When there was nothing left, he coughed and fell to his knee.

Then it hit. Pure, unhindered agony. First like needles pricking every part of his body, the sensation then evolved to a pain burning from the inside out. "GUAAAHHHH!"

"Y-you ate my flames!" Tiamat gasped, thinking Issei had doomed himself. "Why?"

As the pain subsided, Issei pushed himself to his feet again. "I'm not just any dragon, Tiamat-chan. I am a Dragon Slayer!" With that, he grinned toothily, excess magic leaking out of his body. "Thanks for the meal." He had managed to eat her flames because, as with all Dragon Slayers, Issei could consume his element. Although Tiamat used chaos fire, he had decided that it was close enough to try, and he had managed to do it. It was a risky move, one that he only was able to pull off due to the improved abilities of Dragon Slayers to consume various types of magic, even if it wasn't exactly their own.

Despite the surprising save, Issei was panting. 'Crap. I have to end this quickly.' While he had refilled some of his magic reserves, he knew it was dangerous as hell to consume any more of that fire. Only a little of it had caused such an awful reaction, and he didn't want to see what the effects of devouring an entire attack could be.

With a roar, he dove back at Tiamat, slashing a clawed hand at her. She reached around and bit him on the neck, drawing blood. Pushing her to the ground, he twisted her off and smashed her away with his tail, sending her crashing towards the trees. There wasn't time to breathe, however, before the dragon king flew at him at top speed. She was a blur, far faster than he had seen her move previously, but he was ready this time. Issei tilted his head down and the two collided in an intense headbutt, a shock wave of energy resounding across what remained of the forest.

Immediately, Tiamat brought her fist to his shoulder. _Crack!_ In a horrifying moment, Issei could tell exactly what was about to happen. With a gut-wrenching sound, bones shattered. A dull pain, barely drowned out by adrenaline, accompanied the sound of his shoulder being crushed into pieces. Then, the force was released, sending him spiraling back into the distance, crashing violently into the ground. Taking shuddering breaths, Issei stood, holding the injury with his other hand. His arm would be useless now. 'I don't need it to win!' He told himself with vigor.

The two dragons wasted no time in returning to the fight. Issei was careful not to let his guard down, refusing to let her land such a direct punch on him again. They grappled and exchanged blows, each attack threatening enough to warrant that the other dodge. Issei held nothing back, using his magic to empower his attacks and coat his body. Tiamat, however, had yet to use the intensity of flames she showed when countering his Abyss Break. Truly, she was deserving of the title of Dragon King. Although she wasn't actively trying to win, Issei still couldn't land a solid hit on her.

His determination wavered. After almost an hour of the two going at it, his shoulder and arm numb by this point, the pace changed. Tiamat reared up, catching his punch with a clawed hand. Issei struggled to move his fist, to claw at her arm. He tried using Dragon Slayer magic, but his reserves were low, and he wasn't able to stop what was coming. Tiamat stood on two feet and slammed her palm into Issei's chest.

"Guah!" Issei cried, falling onto his back with a thud. Dust puffed out, the black dragon staying down for a couple moments. His chest ached from the blunt attack, and all the confidence he had built up over the course of the fight was diminished.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Tiamat giggled, thinking he had enough.

"Yeah..." he replied. Sure, he was in pain, but he never experienced such an intense yet friendly fight before in his life. "But... it isn't over." He rolled forward, pressing into the ground with his palms. He dug his claws in, ignoring the stinging in his shoulder to pull himself onto all fours. His chest was heaving with effort.

 _"Would you really give up your dream so easily? Pathetic. Strength is measured by more than just magical ability... it is your power of will. If one does not have the will to seek their dreams, not only are they weak, but they are worthless."_

He coughed, splattering the ground with bright red blood. "My dream... is to be recognized as a Dragon King and surpass my father. Until then, I can't lose!" He roared, staggering to his feet.

 _"You are my son, not some weak fool!"_

So what if Ddraig told him he couldn't use his full power? There was no way in hell that he was ever going to give up! "For that, I would sacrifice anything!" He began gathering the energy withing, closing his eyes with focus. Blue magic began to emanate from his body.

 _Slap!_

Tiamat smacked him across the face. "What are you thinking?"

"Huh?" His magic returned to normal, and he opened his eyes, confused.

"If you wanted to be made a Dragon King, you could have just asked." She huffed. "Whatever your next attack was, there is no reason to use your life force in a friendly battle." She locked eyes with him, her expression showing no glimpse of humor. "There's something more important than whether or not you get what you want. It's called life, and I'm not letting you put yours at risk for the sake of beating me." Issei widened his eyes. Somehow, Tiamat had known exactly that he was going to use Aura Burst. Or at least she was able to grasp the nature of the technique, even if she didn't comprehend all of its implications. "Dreams are important, Issei-kun, they are what gives us purpose. But they are not all there is to life!"

She smiled, as if amused with herself. "Hah, now I'm spouting all kinds of nonsense." While sighing deeply, she shrugged. "You may not quite be there yet, but to hell if I care. I always missed having six of us."

"You mean that..."

"Why not?" She shrugged. "You're clearly made of the right stuff."

Issei sat down, fatigue hitting him all at once. A warm feeling flooded through his body accompanied by a sense of relief. Was this what it felt like? He had taken a step towards surpassing his father, and couldn't wipe that stupid grin off his face. But still, there was a sense of doubt. "It's too easy... I never defeated any of you. I never proved myself." He let himself get kicked around by Tiamat, and this was his reward? No, he couldn't deserve it, not without a decisive win.

"Really? Are you kidding me?" She couldn't believe this nonsense. "Look at how screwed up the forest is." The entire place resembled a post-apocalyptic wasteland mixed with a meteor impact zone. Issei glanced around, completely in awe of the damage. The destroyed ground was at least half the size of Kuoh! And neither of them had tried to destroy anything. "I wouldn't call anyone who could do shit like this unworthy of that title."

"Thanks." Though he should have felt elated, overjoyed, all he noticed were the sore aches of his beaten body. To injure a dragon with as strong a physical resistance as him... Tiamat was something else. He rolled his shoulder a little. Bad idea. With a yelp of pain, he clutched the broken bones. "I'm going to get back into human form so I can wrap something on this."

She sighed happily at the fact that he didn't protest. "Alright, Issei-kun."

His body glowed as he shrunk down until he was a fraction of the size. His coffee brown irises returned and his pupils went back to their round shape. After his wings and scales disappeared, the Kuoh Academy uniform materialized over his body. Then, he ripped off one of the sleeves of the shirt and wound the piece of fabric tightly around his injured left shoulder, tying a knot at the end. He wasn't entirely sure how wound dressing worked or how to deal with broken bones, but this would do for a couple days while it healed. Unlike normal humans, he'd be fine in less than a couple weeks.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around him. "Hey, Issei-kun."

'W-what!' He gasped. 'That sounds like Tia-chan!' He turned around and was met with quite the shocking site.

Hugging his back was a girl. A very beautiful, naked girl. She had blue hair halfway down her pale back, and slightly lighter blue eyes that seemed cold for some reason. Her figure was amazing, sleek and curvy. Most notably were the two well-proportioned, firm beasts pressed against his back. Issei blushed fiercely, grinning at her.

She giggled. "So you like this, huh Issei-kun?"

"You're sexy. I mean hot. I mean..." he'd better just give up there before his cheeks reached a whole new level of red. Screw modesty, they were both dragons. "You look great."

"I don't use this form that often, but I thought you might appreciate it," she smirked slyly.

His face still showed how flustered he was. "What do you mean?"

"Are you that dense? I want to know if you'll be my mate. It's the reason I agreed to fight you after all."

Wait, what! He thought she just wanted to indulge him because they were the same type of dragon. Instead it was because she wanted to continue their race? "Isn't that a little sudden!?"

"Not at all," she chuckled. "I've discovered plenty about you that there is to like."

He was only 17, and she was throwing something like this on him. Never before had he been expected to make such a crazy decision in so little time. "I don't know..."

She placed a finger to his mouth. "That's fine. You're the only other Chaos Dragon I've met in forever, so it's natural I'm attracted. How about we just have some fun right now?" The pressure of those two round breasts squished against his back doubled. She leaned in and whispered in his ear, "you showed a lot of stamina in our fight. Want to test just how much you have?"

Issei gulped. W-was she asking to have sex with him? He knew what Ddraig would tell him, that it was an amazing and important transition to adulthood. He wasn't stupid enough to turn such an offer down. "I-I'll do it!"

She unwrapped her arms and stepped in front of him, locking her lips with his. His eyes almost rolled into the back of his head when she grabbed his crotch with one hand and pulled his head closer with the other. "Then let's have some fun."

.

Rias was sitting on one of the couches at the clubroom. Everyone else had other business to attend to, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She gazed towards one of the flickering candles, a solemn look taking over her features.

'It's been over a day now. Where is Ise?' She glanced towards the clock. 10:45pm. Surely, he should be back soon? Even though she suspected he had no means to return from the Underworld, she hoped he couldn't just leave her like this. After she had gotten to know the dragon, she couldn't imagine if he forgot about her and moved on with his life as if nothing happened.

'I'm running out of time,' she thought to herself, refraining from biting her lip. Issei, he would save her from this heartache, wouldn't he? He knew what it meant to be bound by family, given what he had mentioned of his father, so he could hopefully understand her plight. As far as dragons went, Issei wasn't nearly as heartless as someone in his position should be. He would help her, he had to.

She sighed. 'It is possible to get the contract cancelled if I were to lose my virginity... but Ise isn't here, and there is no one else.' If Issei couldn't save her with that, she knew he was more than capable when it came to physical power.

There had to be some other way... she placed a hand under her chin as she thought deeply about any way to escape from her fate.

Then, it hit her. "Red-san."

.

Ddraig yawned as he reclined back in his seat. Today was another good day, made even more so by Issei not bothering him with all those stupid devils. He could see why the kid wanted to get involved with them, he even assured Issei that it'd be good for him, but that didn't stop it from being a headache. There was the whole thing where Ddraig was just trying to stay an average, unimportant guy who hung out with Azazel from time to time. Then there was the fact that all the devils were relatively weak compared to either dragon. Well, it didn't bother him as much as it used to, but the important thing is that it didn't bother Issei.

With a sigh, he grabbed the remote and turned the TV off. "Humans have nothing good on this late at night anyway." Asia, who had been staying at their house since the incident at the church, had an even worse knowledge than he did about electronics. She was no help. If Issei were here, he'd know where to find a good show.

'Come to think of it, where is he? It's kinda dumb for Gremory to not at least tell me Issei stayed behind for whatever reason...' He never was a huge fan of devils in general. Instead of being selfish in that they wanted to improve themselves and grow stronger, all they liked to do was manipulate others to their will. Still, he didn't care much about stuff like that considering that his best, and only, friend was a fallen angel.

But why was Issei in the Underworld days after he was supposed to return with the peerage? Asia, when he asked her where he was, didn't tell him much of anything at all. Only that she hoped he'd be back soon and that she was surprised he was still in the Underworld. Maybe, Ddraig decided, he was looking for a familiar. If that kid came back with a hydra, he was going to remind his nephew that he's a complete idiot. Tons of heads, deadly fangs, killer poison. There was no way their apartment could withstand something like that! Well, and it was a terrible idea to bring uncontrollable and dangerous creatures back to the human world, but that was a different topic all together.

"Hopefully he didn't cause any problems. If he offended the devils or the fallen angels." Well, to be honest, Issei could take care of the fallen angels pretty easily. It was the devils he should watch out for, especially that older Gremory, Sirzechs. Ddraig remembered him from way back in the day, and the kid was a monster when it came to power. "Let's hope he didn't go and kill anyone," he amended pessimistically.

He placed his head in his hands. "Why does he never think about how many problems his stupid actions give me?"

"Rough day?"

"Ugh, yeah," Ddraig agreed without a second thought. "Life's so much more boring now, not that I mind."

"That's nice." He felt a hand on his shoulder. "I hear you're quite the philanderer. Picking up new girls every week."

Was he having a fever dream or was some woman making the moves on him? She had a nice voice too, nothing like some of the weaker girls he'd dated recently. Most likely, he'd fallen asleep and just didn't know it. The hand caressed his cheek. "Hmm, I don't care if I am dreaming."

The woman removed her hand. "Could you help me out, Red-san, please?"

Wait, Red-san? No one would call him that in a dream! They would call him 'the mighty, all-powerful Ddraig-sama,' emperor of dragons, and sexiest man alive! He turned to see Rias Gremory, that incredibly hot redhead devil that his nephew was friends with. He felt like crying. "Why couldn't this have been a dream!"

Rias, who had been a little seductive till then was quite taken aback. She moved from behind the chair he was sitting in to stand in front of him. "A-are you alright, Red-san?"

"When I asked for a pretty lady, I didn't mean one that was underage!" Or in some kind of relationship with his nephew; that was weird too.

The devil blushed, loosing all of her momentum with this conversation. From what Issei told her, Red was sure to accept an offer of sex from someone with her drop-dead looks. So why was this guy nearly in tears? "I'm not underage, you know."

"Really?" He eyed her suspiciously. "But you're with my nephew, right?"

Her face was almost the same shade as her hair, but just for a second. As quickly as possible, she regained her composure. "I don't know. But you, even if it is just for tonight, can I ask you something, Red-san?"

He didn't like where this was going. "What?"

"I need you to take my virginity. There is no other way."

Did he hear that right? "You, the heiress of a respected devil family, want to lose your virginity to the _uncle_ of some guy you knew for a couple weeks." He couldn't help it, he started laughing. This was by far the most absurd situation he'd ever been in. "Rias Gremory, I don't really care what your motives are here. You caught me off guard, but I'm telling you that I'm not getting involved with this. Why did you even want this anyway? It's ridiculous."

She nodded, replying with a tiny smirk. "You're right. This is rather silly. I apologize... I'm not in my right state of mind at the moment. I meant to ask this favor of Issei, but I haven't been able to find him."

That made more sense. Rias must have been desperate, and he was a last resort, only since Issei wasn't the one she found at their apartment. Since he had a sort of _reputation_ with the ladies, this whole thing wasn't too much of a stretch. If it was Issei loosing his virginity, Ddraig would support it wholeheartedly. In addition, he had his suspicions that she had a serious cause that she was likely using this to escape, hence the use of 'favor.' Still, he wasn't concerned much about her personal problems. "So you haven't seen partner either? I wonder what he's doing."

"Did Asia not tell you?"

Ddraig locked Rias with a mixed look of confusion and something else. The question hung in the air a few seconds as Rias tried to read whatever his strange expression was in order to figure out more of the utter mystery that is Issei Hyoudou's uncle. "When we were searching for a familiar, our guide mentioned the possibility of capturing Tiamat as a familiar." The dragon didn't move an inch as Rias retold the events of a couple days ago. "As soon as we found Asia a familiar, he took off in search of Tiamat in order to fight her. I've never seen him so focused and sure of himself as when he proclaimed that he would defeat her and become a Dragon King."

There was still no change in his expression, but his tone had turned quite serious. "Why hasn't Asia-chan mentioned this?"

"It is well out of her character to keep such a thing hidden." Rias thought aloud. "Either way, I'm certain she has her reasons. She is usually far too honest to fit in with the typical belief of devils."

Ddraig scowled. He would ask Asia later, but he refused to bother the girl until he calmed down. "I told him not to fight her. That idiot, he'll get himself killed one day." He should have known to ask Asia more than just 'where is he?' If he pursued the topic and actually asked her if she knew _what_ Issei was doing, he could have found his way to the Underworld and stopped the fight.

"So you think Tiamat will win, then?" Rias wondered aloud.

Bad idea. Ddraig stood, fierceness burning in his eyes as he faced Rias, almost no personal space between he two. He looked down at her and bit out, "I didn't say that. I believe in him, and I'm sure you do too." Issei was totally different than all of his previous partners. There was something with him, something that made it seem like anything was possible for him. Of course, insulting the partner and nephew of the Red Dragon Emperor was also something that angered him.

"That's true, from what I've seen, I can barely comprehend his full potential."

The dragon settled down, content for Rias to, however offhandedly, have admitted that dragons (specifically Issei) were superior to devils. Or at least to her. Honestly, he was glad someone recognized Issei's power. "What did you want, Rias Gremory?"

She was startled by the abrupt change in conversation.

"Why are you here tonight, at this hour, asking for me to take your virginity," he elaborated. "I doubt it was to talk about whether Issei will win or not."

Rias let out a melancholy sigh. "It's too late anyway."

A white magic circle appeared on the floor of his apartment, bearing the same crest as the Gremory's. 'What is going on?' He wondered, eyes narrowed. He wasn't going to like this intrusion, especially if it helped to ruin his image or his apartment.

"Really, Rias?"

The woman that formed from the circle was someone Ddraig recognized, if barely. Grayfia, a devil known as the strongest queen. Her blue French maid outfit, braided silver hair, and cold features were a dead giveaway. But why the hell would she show up at his house? No doubt, it was whatever Rias was running from.

"Sirzechs-sama would be disappointed in your actions. And what are you doing with this lowly human?"

"Lowly!" Ddraig growled, clenching his fists hard enough to draw blood. No, he had to stay calm before he blew his cover! 'Don't fuck up, don't fuck up!' Sirzechs, who was in some sort of relationship with Grayfia last he remembered, was the only devil he didn't want to anger. In fact, that was the only one who posed a serious threat, even with Ddraig's moderately weakened state.

Rias didn't seem pleased either. "My actions are of my own choice, Grayfia. And it is a poor idea to offend a dragon in such a manner." She knew that from experience with Issei.

"A dragon? So, this is Issei Hyoudou then?" She regarded him with slight curiosity.

"No, I'm his uncle," Ddraig supplied evenly, trying not to lose his cool.

"Interesting." The maid hummed in understanding, fixing the redhead Gremory with a patronizing look. "You are the heiress to the House of Gremory. Even though this situation is complicated, it would do you benefit to not run from it." She then addressed Ddraig. "Pardon the interruption. I'm a maid that serves the House of Gremory. My name is Grayfia. Pleased to make your acquaintance." She was the no-nonsense kind of person, it seemed.

"Grayfia," Rias said, "did you come here of your own accord? Or did the household or Onii-sama send you?"

"All of them," the queen replied flatly.

The redhead sighed. "If you, my brother's queen was sent here personally, it can only be one thing." She suddenly seemed quite downcast. "I understand."

'Way to keep things vague you two. Partner's not gonna be happy when I tell him what's happened.'

"Red-san, we'll get out of your way now. Let's finish this conversation at my headquarters. You don't mind if I bring Akeno along?" She asked Grayfia.

"The Priestess of Thunder? No of course not, it's fitting for a high-class devil to keep their queen by their side."

As the two disappeared in a flash of white and red, Ddraig was left alone with two thoughts on his mind. One, he lamented the fact that he didn't have any dates recently. Two, he wasn't too eager to deal with Issei. Not only was he going to have to berate the kid for trying to fight Tiamat, he had to try and explain this thing with Rias.

'Man, why did my nephew have to drag me back into all of this?'

.

 _Issei sat quietly in meditation, eyes closed and breathing constant. He was fifteen, and Acnologia had finally deemed him experienced enough in Chaos Dragon Slayer Magic to learn Aura Burst. As he had already surpassed the practically of Dragon Force, considering that it allowed humans to simulate a dragon's power but he_ was _a dragon, so it was a big deal for him. After this, killing dragons would be_ _unnecessary, and he would only need to train his power until he was as strong as his father. It put a devilish grin on his face that belayed the calm faced of his meditation. In reality, he was filled with eagerness and excitement._

 _"What's got you like this, partner?"_

 _"Oh, hey Uncle," Issei opened his eyes and gave a little wave. Ddraig sat down in front of him, a strange look on his face. "Dad said he'd finally teach me the final stage of Dragon Slayer magic, the kind I can use in my normal form."_

 _That sent a shiver down the heavenly dragon's spine when Issei referred to his dragon form as his normal self. In the past couple months, he'd noticed that Issei was losing touch with his humanity. Though, it wasn't surprising given the number of dragons that he slayed. Perhaps now that Issei understood it better, he had come to accept it as who he was? It made Ddraig let out a scowl. "I'm happy for you, I really am."_

 _"Yeah," Issei replied with some sarcasm, "you sound thrilled..."_

 _"Look partner, it's great that you're learning even_ more _absurdly powerful magic at such a young age." He knew the direction this was going. As with his past hosts, he suspected Issei could endanger himself in the hunt for more power. "I just want to know... why? You've killed so many for the power you have now, why do you need more of it?"_

 _Issei wasn't sure how to respond to that. All he wanted was to make his father proud, to become a dragon worthy or recognition and praise, the heir to Acnologia's title of Dragon King. But did he need to be stronger for that? "I..."_

 _Ddraig's eyes locked with his. "Why did you have to kill them all?"_

 _'W-what!'_

 _Scenes flashed in front of Issei. A graveyard, all dragons that his father aided him in killing. A burning town, one that had the misfortune of invoking his father's wrath. The an obliterated countryside with a dead dragon, blood everywhere. Its hollow eyes stared at him, lifeless._

 _Then, it spoke, in a warped version of Ddraig's voice._

 ** _"You're a heartless murderer, Issei, just like your father!"_**

.

Issei shot awake. 'Another nightmare,' he realized slowly, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He'd been having a lot of those recently, ever since he joined the Occult Research Club. 'Now that I have friends... I guess I figured out how terrible I was...' Still, Ddraig would have never said something like that, not ever. He knew that Issei was working, however successfully, to put it all behind him. That, and the older dragon cared for his nephew too much to offend him that badly. Well, they were called nightmares after all, and they were more harrowing reminders than legitimate truth. It didn't stop him from feeling guilty, though.

"Something wrong, Issei-kun?"

"Ah!" He yelped, shocked at the cute voice coming from next to him. "Oh, right." Man, now he felt stupid. Leave it to him to forget the crazy amount of hot sex he had just had with a beautiful bluenette who was technically his mate. At least they didn't go into their dragon forms, as they would have destroyed a lot more than just Tiamat's fancy bedroom.

She laughed. "I'm not that forgettable, I hope?" At one look at Issei, she frowned. "I know we are both basically strangers at the moment, but I need to ask why you look so shaken."

Issei chuckled nervously, feeling rather sheepish at the whole situation. Especially the fact that both of them were naked. And the whole 'he was mates with a near stranger' deal too, that was unusual to say the least. Dragons _were_ free spirited, true, but this was a little much. That said, one look at the drop-dead bombshell next to him totally justified it all. While he wasn't a perv, he was still a curious teenager. The books his father somehow let him read in his childhood hardly compared to the real thing.

"Issei-kun," she sighed, noticing his expression.

"I-I wasn't looking at your breasts!" He swore quickly.

She rolled her eyes. "That's not what I'm talking about. Dodging the topic isn't going to solve anything. Besides, I have no reason to hide my features from you. Not after all the fun times we had." His face felt ten times hotter than when she had first burnt him with her blue flames as he recalled those... events. "Really?"

"S-sorry. Off topic, got it." He calmed down, trying to get all of the perverseness out of his system. As he took he deep breath, he was conflicted between thinking of the dream and trying to put the past out of his mind. "I suppose it was kind of a memory..."

"A memory?" Tiamat repeated, curious. 'Does this have anything to do with my mention of the Evil Dragon?' She wondered. He had a similar reaction back then. "It's up to you whether you want to share. I always thought having someone to tell things to made problems easier to bear."

Tell her? The only one he had ever told stuff to was Ddraig; not even Gildarts had been privy to the entire story. Here Tiamat was, someone he met less than two days ago, and now he was going to tell her? While they may have hit it off well, and he definitely felt he owed her for preventing him from using Aura Burst, he wasn't too certain. Ddraig had warned him not to talk about Earth Land, that it was dangerous to reference the other world, but what was Tiamat going to do? Surely, after granting him the incredible position of Dragon King alongside her, she would not turn on him. What motive would she have?

It was a tough choice, and an odd one to make. "I can't say everything," he warned her. "A lot of it is information that my uncle wants kept hidden."

"Your uncle, hmm?" Tiamat thought aloud. Strange that Issei mentioned both a father and an uncle when she hadn't heard much about other dragons at Dragon King level (which any related to one such as Issei surely would be). She had trouble thinking of any dragons that strong who could also remain hidden from her, and that list was practically nonexistent. In fact, there was really only one on it, and the resemblance was uncanny.

"Yeah," Issei said. "Ddraig."

"Ddraig!" Tiamat growled, an intense aura leaking from her as her eyes glared evilly past him. She had picked up on the Welsh Dragon's scent and knew he was involved, but this was unexpected. The fact that the moron was posing as an uncle only riled her up.

"H-he's not related to me by blood," he assured her, panicking to calm her terrifying presence. "Ever since he escaped from the Boosted Gear, he's been kind of an uncle." Issei wasn't about to mention that he was once the human wielder of the boosted gear. 'Man, what the hell did he do to get her like this?' He wondered as she relaxed a little. Tiamat _said_ it was all Ddraig's fault, yet their attitudes clearly suggested a mutual dislike.

She raised an eyebrow at that. Once Issei was sure she wasn't about to explode, he continued. "I grew up in a different world." Her shocked expression only made him smile. His Earth Land heritage was a proud point of his, even though it shouldn't have been. "Dragons there were scattered, hiding all over the world and rarely interacting with anyone. They have a single honorary king, one who has ruled for 400 years." He clutched his fist almost to the point of drawing blood. "That's my father, Acnologia."

"Acno... logia," Tiamat repeated slowly. She had heard the rumors... if Issei was truly the son of _that_ dragon, she could see why he had bad memories. She felt stupid for not noticing the perfect resemblance earlier, although her knowledge of the Black Dragon was all second hand. If he hailed from a different world, that would explain how Acnologia basically came out of nowhere, taking the Underworld by surprise.

"He isn't a monster," Issei muttered weakly. "The things he's done... He made me defeat dragons to grow stronger, kill humans to prove my... superiority, and he taught me that power is all that matters... but he's still my father!" He finished, declaring it as if defying some deity. His mood turned a bit somber. "I go through all of that, and I'm still weaker than you."

"Weaker than me, not by much," she grinned lightly. "I was the one who was worried during our fight. Not only did you manage to injure me, you held your own in the sky and on the ground. For a while there, I thought that my centuries of experience fighting and defeating other dragons was useless. And that was before your 'Aura Burst' as you call it. I am fully aware how powerful Acnologia is, and I know that one day you _will_ surpass him. Until then, if you don't feel like you earned your new title, keep proving to yourself that you deserve it by defeating stronger and stronger enemies."

Issei replied with a small nod, a smile working its way on his face. Even though she had acknowledged the Black Dragon's existence, it wasn't important right not. Tiamat pressed her nude body against him, making him blush. Then she locked her lips with his in a kiss.

After a good while, she pulled back. "And I'll be rooting for you."

Issei leaned in again...

 _Riiiing!_

Just then, there was a thunderous ringing, like an insanely phone going off. Tiamat groaned, clearly irked. "Way to ruin the mood you stupid thing." She rolled over, still completely naked, and grabbed a phone that was resting atop her nightstand. "What do you want!?" She complained to the caller.

Issei was totally lost. 'Wait, there are phones in the Underworld?' Were they run by magic, or did they have the normal technology? "Eh... uh, Tia-chan..."

"One sec," she whispered, her demeanor changing. There was some mumbling on the other end, and she let out another sigh. "You're kidding me," she said into the phone. "You don't need me for this!" There were some more unintelligible mumbles. "I wouldn't care if she _is_ the Maou, I'm busy."

She rolled her eyes. "Ah, jeez, fine. Tell Ajuka I'll watch the stupid game." She sighed, placing the phone back.

"What was that?" Issei asked curiously.

"I can't believe this," the blue dragon murmured, still annoyed. "I owe Ajuka a lot. He helped me get this place and... well... he's a good guy. Smart too. So, he calls in a favor every now and then and has me referee rating games to make sure everyone follows the rules."

"Wait, you ref the rating games?" That actually sounded pretty cool.

"Trust me, it isn't as awesome as it sounds. I have to be quiet, formal, and all that in front of the devils." Chaos didn't like to be constrained after all. "Watching others fight is so much more boring than fighting yourself. Besides, it's not like they _need_ a dragon king as the judge. Just pick someone off the streets." She realized something. "I'm ranting again, my bad. It's just that this one'll be especially boring. Two young devils, and one hasn't even done a rating game before."

Issei shrugged. "At least you don't have to go to a human school. That's a whole new level of boring."

"True," she agreed. "The only reason Ajuka wants me there is because one of the competitors's Lucifer's little sister."

"Lucifer's little sister?" Issei repeated, his mind somewhat thrown by the comment. Wasn't Rias related to Sirzechs Lucifer? No... Why would she be in a rating game? She never mentioned anything like that!

"What's up?" She fixed him with curious blue eyes.

Issei avoided her gaze, staring out of a window. "Rias is that devil I came here with, the one at my school."

"Really? And I'm guessing you had no idea she was going to compete in a rating game."

He shrugged. "No, guess not." She didn't talk much about herself, and he never pressed it. Considering that he didn't want to talk about his own past, it wasn't as if he was going to be hypocritical.

"That's strange. It's kind of a big deal. The purpose of the game is that if she wins, she will be able to get out a marriage contract with the heir to the Phenex clan, Riser Phenex."

"Rias has an arranged marriage!" This was ridiculous. How could she just never mention something like that?

"Yep. I've heard this Riser's an ass too."

If Rias was his friend, and she was, he had to do something about this. Knowing her, she probably had some devious way to get him into the rating game. His gaze hardened. "Tia-chan. I need to get back to the human world."

.

AN: Ddraig is hilarious to write. I absolutely love his personality, and I hope I'm nailing it.

Sorry about the lack of a lemon. FFN does't technically allow them, and I wasn't eager to make this story take that route. I might stray a little more towards describing stuff like that in vague detail in the future, but I doubt I'll ever go all-in.

As for Tiamat's character, I didn't have much to work off of given her very few appearances in the LN, and the little amount that people talk about her. After some deliberation, she's a 'does whatever she wants,' spontaneous kind of person. Within reason, of course. And, I'll be taking the Riser arc a little differently than you guys are probably used to. That's right, there was no cliche scene of Riser's first appearance, and Issei wasn't there to argue with him like every other story ever. Remember, in this story Issei is _not_ part of Rias's peerage, and that makes all the difference.

Warning: This chap wasn't as edited as usual. Please point out any mistakes, and I'll try and fix em. I've been kinda sick for the past few days, and I can end up typing utter nonsense if I'm not careful.


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